A Frosted Heart
by Levitating Fox
Summary: Tooth, a caring junior, attends high school with her best friends, Nightlight, Katherine, and Bunnymund. But when a new kid shows up, Tooth's life begins to drastically change, and new mysteries and drama unfolds... (some beginning SweetTooth, but mostly Rainbow Snowcone/Frostbite)
1. The new kid

**Hello! This is my first time publishing a story... I hope it goes well and you guys like it, reviews and critique are always welcome! A little background would be it's a high school AU and it starts out with some SweetTooth, but I promise it's all about the Frostbite/Rainbow Snowcone :) Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Winter was cold in Burgess.

But this was the coldest it had ever been.

Tooth gazed out one of the large windows of the cafeteria, sighing longingly at the harsh snow that flew down onto the ground, piling up and smearing the landscape with white. The large cafeteria she was sitting in was surrounded by people talking away in their own groups. As she waited for her friends, she pulled out a lunchbox decorated with teeth stickers.

Tooth _loved_ teeth, ironically. Her mother, Rashmi, was a dentist, and she had been raised going to Rashmi's office frequently. Reading the charts, seeing the pictures, even watching the surgeries made her happy and feel fulfilled. Teeth were a part of someone's personality, and Tooth loved seeing her mother nurture them, young and old.

"Hey, Tooth!" someone called from behind her. Stumbling out of her thoughts, she turned, smiling as she saw who it was.

"Nightlight!" she greeted back. The young boy beamed at her, making Tooth giggle. Nightlight wasn't his real name, but their group of friends nicknamed him that after his bright attitude that seemed to chase the darkness away. His blond hair was messily splayed across his forehead, and he wore dark jeans and a sweatshirt. He plopped down in a seat next to her excitedly and brought out his books.

"I've had the most amazing day, I just took a test and I think I aced it!" He exclaimed, ruffling through his binder to pull out some homework. He looked up and questioned, "Where are the others?"  
Tooth's eyes swept over the cafeteria before replying, "I don't see them, but I'm sure they'll be here soon. Bun probably forgot his lunch, again!" She giggled. Seeing a flash of auburn hair, she proclaimed, "Oh! I think I see Katherine!"

Nightlight's head quickly shot up, a smile already plastered on his face. Tooth shouldered him affectionately, knowing his smile was not just friendly, but that he had a crush on Katherine for some time. He glanced sheepishly at Tooth before looking back up as Katherine trotted over to them. Her wavy auburn hair bounced as she sat down, tugging off her grey parka to reveal a long-sleeved shirt and tight jeans.

Tooth smiled to herself. Katherine was very beautiful, and she was hoping Nightlight would speak to her soon.

"Hey guys!" she huffed, setting a cafeteria tray down and wiping her hair away from her flushed cheeks. She continued, "Sorry, I had to run through the snow, it's coming down really heavily now! Bun didn't want to get cold so he took the longer route here."

Nightlight chatted happily with Katherine as Tooth opened her lunchbox and pulled out some wrapped up strawberries, quietly munching on them and glancing around.  
Finally, she saw who she was working for.

Bunnymund had an equally strange name as Tooth, but most people usually chose to ignore it, like hers. He was an Australian who had moved recently to Burgess, a thick accent and quick temper accompanying his tall and muscular build. His light brown hair was neatly cropped, and he wore a long, fuzzy coat over his V-neck and faded, ripped jeans.

"Hey, mate!" Bunny said cheerily as he placed a firm hand on Nightlight's shoulder as he passed by, coming to a stop by Tooth and sitting next to her. He took out a small lunch sack and tossed it onto the table, rubbing his hands and breathing into them to stay warm.

"It's too cold outside," he announced grumpily, "seems like spring is never gonna get here."  
Tooth laughed at Bunny's shivering and replied, "It's the dead of winter, Bun, spring won't be here for a while."

He chuckled and wrapped an arm around Tooth's waist as he used his other hand to fish out an apple from his sack and chomp into it. She giggled and put her hand on his shoulder.  
"Not in public you guys!" Nightlight joked.

"Oh, rack off, will ya?" Bunny smiled and playfully wrapped his arm around Tooth's waist even tighter.

"Have you guys seen the new kid?" Katherine questioned.

"Hmm?" Tooth perked up, her hand slipping away from Bunny's. She hadn't even heard there was going to be a new kid, and usually they announced it a few weeks before they came to the school! She asked with vigor, "A new kid? I didn't know we had one! Who is it?"

Katherine happily replied, "Oh, he's quite strange. I don't think he's foreign but he's said hardly a word to anyone the entire day. I'm not even sure what his name is, but he's cute. I don't have any classes with him though, I tried to say hi but he sort of ignored me."

Nightlight chimed in, "He certainly isn't shy though, I saw him nearly get in a fight earlier."  
Bunny continued, "Seems kinda overconfident to me, for his first day."

Tooth, not wanting to be judging, proclaimed, "I'm sure it was all in good intentions, you know some of the seniors like to pick fights, especially with people they don't know."

As they began to speculate more about the new kid, they were abruptly cut off by the bell. Getting up and saying goodbye to one another, they headed off to separate classes. Tooth hugged Bunny and went off to her history class, taught by a large, old Russian man named Mr. North. He was kind, but strict, and somewhat intimidating due to his stature. As she slipped into her seat moments before the bell, she opened her notebook and prepared a pen to take notes.

Just as the class was starting, and Mr. North had risen up from his giant creaky chair, a rapping came at the door.

"What in earth?" Mr. North mumbled in his thick accent, stroking his long white beard. He strode over to the door and opened it a crack, peering out the door and whispering to someone. A moment later, he stepped back into the room and thrust his arm out to a boy standing in the doorway.  
"Everyone!" Mr. North exclaimed, "This is new student. What is your name?" he said, leaning towards the wiry boy. Tooth could see him grimacing and felt bad for all the attention being put on the new kid.

He replied, "Jack Frost."

"Ah, yes! Jack Frost. Welcome, welcome. Now, let's see... you will sit... there!" Tooth gasped to herself as he pointed to the seat next to her. As Jack walked over, she got a good look at him, a mess of beautiful brown hair almost covering playful, light brown eyes. He wore a blue sweatshirt, and he must have been outside recently because there was snow still caught on his shoulders and arms. His pants were brown and folded short at the bottom, with small rips across them. As he sat down he smirked, and that's when she saw his _teeth_.

They were so white! Sparkling like the snow from outside, she had to keep her jaw from dropping at the gorgeous teeth he had. Instead she smiled kindly and gave him a piece of paper and a pencil to write with, even though he didn't thank her.

The rest of the period she took notes, trying not to look at Jack's teeth. When class was over, she stayed behind, pretending to organize her things as Jack got some information from Mr. North about the class. She scooted out after him, blatantly staring.

She wanted to know more about this Jack Frost.


	2. Kindness can be a mistaken thing

After social studies was math, which Tooth could hardly pay attention to, as usual. Her teacher constantly lectured the class in a dull, monotone voice, making it easy for most people to drift off. Usually she would doodle in her notebook to look like she was paying attention, but today she didn't even attempt pretending.

She just couldn't stop thinking about Jack Frost.

Something about him made Tooth keep wondering who he was. It wasn't just that he was incredibly handsome, there were lots of good looking boys in her school, including Bunny. It was the mischievously playful grin, the beautiful teeth, how the snow seemed to go so well sticking to his sweatshirt until it melted in the warm classroom.

She wanted to know who he was.

* * *

After the bell rang and Tooth picked up her books, she shuffled out of class to go to art. Walking slowly down the school corridors, she reached the art class and slipped inside, gently placing her stuff down on one of the empty tables.

The teacher walked in from the large art closet, where most of the materials were kept, carrying multiple paint bottles. Tooth quickly got up from her seat and went to help him, calling out, "Hello, Mr. Sandy!"

Mr. Sandy smiled warmly as she took up some of the paint bottles and helped him place the paint on a table in the center of the room. He was a middle aged man who was very short and a little chubby. Tooth really liked Mr. Sandy, who was very kind, but she had never heard him say a word. He always wrote the lesson plans for the day up on the board, but for all Tooth knew, he was a mute.

After they placed all of the paint bottles out on the table, most of the students had filed into the classroom. Tooth, after making sure Mr. Sandy didn't need anything else, turned around to walk back to her seat.

And there he was.

Jack Frost, sitting in the seat beside hers.

Tooth tried to casually walk over to her seat, but tripped right before she sat down and clumsily plopped into her seat. Blushing fiercely, she tried to avoid eye contact with Jack, opening up her sketchbook to a fresh page and awaiting class to start.

Jack cleared his throat, and Tooth peered over. He was staring right back at her, looking a bit uncomfortable. Clearing his throat again, he said quietly, "Uh, you're the only person I've met in this class, didn't want to sit alone or anything."  
Tooth, not wanting to say anything stupid, just nodded and glanced back over to Mr. Sandy, who was using a ruler to tap on the ground, causing the murmuring class to go silent. Tooth read the message placed on the board:

Next week we will be starting a large painting project.

It will be the master project for this semester.

This week, in order to prepare,

I want you to get creative!  
Use the paint set up and start doodling

Designs, people, or landscapes are welcome.

Tooth smiled happily and got up out of her chair to get paint. She loved it when Mr. Sandy gave them free weeks! It gave her time to be creative and think of new ideas. She picked up a paper plate and squirted out small bits of brightly colored paint onto the plate. Picking up some old newspapers and a cup of water, she sat back down at her seat.

Mr. Sandy turned on some music for them to work to, and Tooth began to slowly paint colorful, swirling patterns on the sketchbook paper. In the middle, she drew a hummingbird, one of her favorite animals. She loved how bright they were! Splashing specks of blue and yellow onto the bird, she highlighted it's plumage and tail colors. As she used water the smear the wings in an attempt to make them look like they were moving, she heard Jack give out a low whistle next to her. She turned to see him, eyes wide, staring down at her painting.

"You're good." He praised. She smiled and thanked him, peering over to see what he had painted.

His entire page was filled with things covered in snow, intricate snowflakes painted all across the borders of the paper, each with different designs and shapes. He had painted some sort of town in the middle of the page, shrouded with a light dusting of snow. It was Tooth's turn to be amazed as she saw the cool effect the snow had on the painting, and the warmth of one house with a yellow light shining through a window.

"You're _really _good." she remarked staring down at his paper. She continued, "What's the place in the middle supposed to be?"

Jack rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably and replied, "You sure use a lot of bright colors. Is that your favorite way to paint?"

Tooth glanced at Jack curiously, wondering if she should repeat the question she had just asked. Thinking better of it, she stated, "..Um, yeah. I like bringing out the colors in stuff. It's bright and it makes me feel happy, when you can see all of the colors standing out and mixing together." Glancing back down at her painting, she smiled to herself, pushing back a strand of brown hair.

They didn't talk afterwards, and instead went back to painting until the bell rang, signaling that school was over. Tooth packed up and went to get the rest of her stuff from her locker. She noticed that Jack was walking close behind her, but she tried not to think too heavily on it. Tooth stopped by her locker, packed up the rest of her things, and set off. Jack was at his locker near the end of the hall, rechecking to see if he had all of his books.

* * *

Tooth strode outside into the cold air, shivering. The snow had lessened from earlier in the day, but it was still coming down. She strode toward the parking lot, looking for anyone she might know.

"Hey! Tooth!" Bunny shouted as she made her way towards his car. As she quickened her pace to get to his car, there was a sudden crash from behind her. Tooth quickly turned around to see what had caused the noise.

Two giant seniors were laughing their heads off at a trashcan that had been thrown on its side. After a few moments, someone stumbled out of the bin, covered in trash. Desperately trying to wipe the grime off, whoever it was picked up the trashcan and began fishing inside for whatever the bullies had thrown in with him. Tooth angrily whirled around, stomping back the way she had come.

The bullies took the scruff of the person's shirt and used it to shove him back into the bin. Laughing hysterically, they decided to leave before any teachers would notice.

Tooth ran up to the bin and placed her stuff on the ground nearby. Reaching over the edge, she offered a hand to the person inside. Hesitant, he took it, and Tooth lifted him up enough so that he could get out of the bin himself. Glancing around for anything to help clean him off, Tooth grabbed a stack of napkins laying on an empty lunch table and handed the napkins to him.

"Sorry, I don't have anything with me to help you clean yourself off." She apologized, trying to pick out some of the trash from his jet black hair. His black jeans and dark grey shirt were soaked and covered in grime, but she didn't have an extra shirt to give him.

"Oh um, n-no, it's fine," he replied, "I, uh, I'm sorry, if you could get my backpack out of the trash, that would be a really big help.."

"Of course!" Tooth exclaimed, turning around to fish in the trashcan. After a few moments, she pulled out his backpack, soaked in discarded drinks.

"Thank you," he said tiredly, "I'm quite sorry, uh.."

"Tooth." She smiled. "My name's Tooth. And yours? I don't think I've seen you around here often."

"Pitch." he smiled, and Tooth noticed he had rather shiny, pointed teeth. He continued, "I only moved recently, haven't had a lot of time to settle in."

Tooth smiled back at him warmly. She replied, "I could tell, what with the British accent," she giggled, adding, "And don't worry about those seniors, they always pick on new kids, they should get over it soon." She swept her eyes up and down his tall, lanky figure, making sure most of the grime was off. Eyes sparkling, she said farewell to Pitch, and turned, running to get in Bunny's car.

"That was kind of you, Tooth." Bunny smiled as Tooth walked up, hugging her tightly.

"Seniors can be so mean sometimes." She exhaled, stepping back from Bunny's embrace. She questioned, "You want to go somewhere? I don't have a ton of homework."

Bunny laughed and replied, "Yeah, actually Nightlight wanted to go to some kind of new coffee shop. You up for it?"  
Tooth nodded happily and piled into Bunny's car. He called Nightlight to get directions, and they drove out of the student parking lot.

* * *

Pitch smiled to himself. She had been really nice to him. It had been a long time since someone had treated him nicely, longer than he could remember. Chuckling, he gathered up his ruined bag. Tooth _was _nice.

* * *

**Thank you for some of the feedback! I was really excited people wanted to read this, so I went ahead and uploaded a new chapter :3 Please leave reviews! I'd love to know what you guys think and what I could improve on!**


	3. Coffee and a Shove

Tooth smiled in the passenger's seat of the car, gazing out the window once again to look at the white landscape. Bunny drove carefully on the icy street, trying not to go fast. On normal days, when there wasn't any snow lingering around, Bunny would race across town in his car, going as fast as he pleased. Tooth knew he liked to drive quickly, but he always kept it at a somewhat normal speed when she was in the car.

Turning into the coffee shop, Bunny glanced over to Tooth and smiled. Her tan skin was smooth and went beautifully with her unnaturally violet eyes. She had recently put a few bright colored highlights in her hair, and they went along well with the small jacket she was fond of wearing. He remembered when he had first come to Burgess, scared of how he was going to stand out from the other students. Some of the older classmen had picked on him for his accent, but Tooth had always been kind to him. He was so lucky to have her.

Bunny slid the car into a parking spot and turned the engine off. Tooth was still daydreaming, and he casually leaned over and rubbed her shoulder affectionately. Slowly turning, she beamed at him and grabbed his hand firmly, giving it a good squeeze, then dropping it to get out of the car. Bunny laughed happily and got out of the car as well, locking it after they stepped out.

Tooth ran over to his side and nuzzled into the coat he was wearing. "Shoot, it's cold, I should have brought a heavier jacket!" Tooth exclaimed, shivering. Bunny chuckled and rubbed her arms, trying to warm her up as they slid into the coffee shop.

Nightlight was waiting at a booth with Katherine, and slid out once he saw the two of them. Trotting over, he smiled and stated, "Hey, I just payed for our drinks! Bun, I got you some black coffee, and Tooth, I ordered a peppermint mocha, if that's okay?" Bunny and Tooth happily nodded and went to sit down at the booth, sliding in on the opposite side of Nightlight and Katherine.

Katherine leaned into her backpack, pulling out a couple of heavy textbooks. She placed them on the table and opened one, sighing contentedly. Katherine loved reading, even if it was something as uninteresting as a textbook. She was an amazing story teller and loved listening to them as well, so she was constantly carrying around large amounts of books. She leaned over her textbook and said, eyes shining, "Hey, I saw you with the new kid earlier coming out of the art classroom. Did you get to speak with him?"

Tooth rubbed her arm and replied, "Yeah, he's in my social studies and art class. He didn't really talk a lot, but he's very talented. Nice, too."

Bunny sniffed disdainfully, and Tooth spun around, eyes questioning. "What?" she inquired, seeing the disapproving look on his face.

"I just don't know about him," Bunny scoffed, "I was walking out of school when he walked past me, nearly shoved me into a wall. I let is pass, but he doesn't seem like a good guy, seeing as he almost got in a fight his first day and he won't even talk to anyone."

"Well, he talked to _me_," Tooth mumbled, quickly adding, "You shouldn't judge so harshly, Bunny! He seemed a little out of place, and maybe he didn't mean to shoulder you in the hallway. You know what it was like when you first arrived in school." At the remark, Bunny fell silent, feeling a bit ashamed about what he had just said. Usually he would stick to his word, but when Tooth disagreed, she was almost always right.

Sighing, he whispered an apology to Tooth. She smiled wholeheartedly and wrapped her small hands around his sturdy frame. He chuckled happily, glancing down at the beautiful girl next to him. He was _so _lucky to have her.

She pulled away as a man walked over to their booth, holding four cups and a scrap of paper with writing on it. "Four drinks for, uh, Nightlight?" He asked, glancing at the strange name.

"Yep! That's me," Nightlight said, happily scooping up the drinks and thanking the man. He placed them down on the table and handed them out. Tooth took a sip and was filled with warmth, snuggling into Bunny's side. They sat there together as a small amount of customers filed in and out, laughing and doing homework together as the hours passed.

* * *

Finally, as it was getting dark outside, they took up their stuff and filed into the two cars, saying goodbye to one another. Bunny drove Tooth home, and walked her up to the porch. They hugged goodbye and Tooth went inside, running up to her room and placing her stuff down before walking back to say hello to her mom.

Rashmi was sitting at the kitchen counter, bent over her work, looking at pictures of teeth. Tooth slid in and gave her mom a big hug, ducking into the fridge to steal a small snack.

"How was your day, Toothiana?" Rashmi inquired, glancing up from her book.

"It was good!" Tooth replied, "There's a new kid at school, Jack Frost, who seems really nice." Tooth picked out some leftover lasagna and placed it into the microwave.

"Ah, were you nice to him? You know what I've said about first impressions," Rashmi piled up up her finished work into a neat pile and rubbed her tired eyes.

"_Mom, _of course I was!" Tooth exclaimed. Her mother smiled a toothy grin. Tooth loved her mother's smile, it was so big and bright, you couldn't help but smile back. She pulled out the lasagna from the microwave and cut it in half, giving her mom some. Rashmi was always very busy because of her work, so she didn't have a lot of time to cook. Tooth had learned how to cook from her father Haroom, before he.. Tooth cleared her throat. It was a touchy subject.

They ate quietly, talking about the day's events, then washing the dishes and saying goodnight to one another. Tooth took a shower then got under the covers, texting Bunny for a bit before falling asleep.

The next day, snow was coming down even harder. Tooth hoped that they might be able to get out of school, but it was only delayed for an hour. When Tooth arrived, half of the students hadn't cared enough to show up. She pushed through her morning classes waiting for lunch to roll around. When it did, she was the first as always, eagerly sitting at the table. Nightlight and Katherine filed in, and as always she was left waiting for Bunny. Chatting with her friends, she would steal a glance every now and then to the cafeteria's entrance. After a couple minutes without Bunny, she turned around to see if he was already somewhere in the cafeteria.

Peering over the tables, she looked at the most crowded ones, then raked across the ones that were almost deserted. She frowned sadly at a familiar face.

Pitch was eating at a lunch table, alone.

"Excuse me." Tooth said, turning around in her seat and walking towards the nearly empty table. Nightlight and Katherine watched her with questioning looks as she sat next to Pitch and began to speak with him.

"Hey, Pitch!" She chirped as she came closer to the lunch table.

Pitch glanced up from shoving his food around on his plate and smiled when he saw who it was. "Ah, Tooth, nice to see you again." He replied, a bit embarrassed.

Tooth, feeling bad that he was sitting all alone, took a seat next to him. "Why are you sitting all alone?" She inquired.

Pitch looked down, fiercely blushing. He scratched his long, crooked nose and mumbled, "Well, I haven't had a chance to make many friends yet, and until today I didn't know anyone in this lunch period."

Tooth exclaimed, "Well you can't just think you're going to make friends if you don't actually try!" She picked up his lunch tray and stated, "You're gonna sit with us!" Having no time to make a decision, Pitch quickly gathered the rest of his things and sat down next to Katherine at their lunch table, staying quiet. As Tooth tried to talk with Pitch, Bunny stormed in, looking enraged.

"_Damn it!_" He cried out, throwing his books on the table.

"_Bunnymund!_" Tooth exclaimed. She hated it when people cursed, it was just plain rude!

"I'm sorry, but you're little 'friend' _Jack Frost_ hasn't been here for two days and he has the nerve to speak down to me?" Bunny seethed, "I asked him about the whole pushing me over in the hallway to see if it was an accident, and he basically told me to bugger off!"

Tooth's thoughts were flying through her head. Jack Frost being mean to Bunny? But he had seemed so nice! She filed away her thoughts as she tried to calm Bunny down.

"Bun, come on, it's not that big of a deal." she grabbed his large hand and gave it a squeeze. He glanced down, and some of the anger drained from his eyes. He was still mad about it, but Tooth had a calming effect when he had angry outbursts.

"Well, if he's planning on making friends, I wouldn't recommend insulting people." Nightlight murmured, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Pitch watched everything curiously, taking in the scene.

"What's he doing here?" Bunny looked Pitch up and down. Tooth scoffed at his tone of voice and explained that she had asked him to sit at their table.

* * *

After Bunny calmed down, they talked quietly until the bell, then left. In history, Tooth eagerly sat down, awaiting Jack's arrival, but he never came. Confused, she stepped out at the end of class and made her way to art. They were still doing free drawing, so she took out some more paint to color with and sat back down. She worked on touching up her hummingbird for half of the class, until the classroom's door was swung open, and someone plopped down into the seat next to her.

Jack Frost had decided to show up.

His face was flushed with color, and he kept running his fingers through his hair. Tooth glanced over as Mr. Sandy stepped over to Jack, holding out his hand. Jack looked confusedly at the hand, then realization dawned on his face and he searched through his jacket pockets, pulling out a green excuse slip and handing it to the teacher. Tooth tried to see if she could read the excuse, wanting to know why Jack had been absent, but Mr. Sandy had quickly grabbed and read it before throwing the note into the trashcan.

Mr. Sandy walked back to his desk and Jack glanced over to Tooth. "He really doesn't talk much, eh?" he smirked. She giggled in response, then remembered what Bunny had told her earlier.

Tooth carefully formed her words so she wouldn't rile Jack up. Finally, she asked, "Uhm, Jack, yesterday, leaving school... after I left my locker, and you were walking outside, did you happen to come across Bunnymund?"

Jack snorted and replied coldly, "Yeah, the big Australian one that looks like a kangaroo? I walked past and accidentally hit him in the shoulder. He looked pretty mad about it, and today he just came up to me in the hallway and demanded to know if I did it on purpose. I didn't like his attitude, so I told him to leave me alone."

Hearing how simply he said it, Tooth felt like it had been a minor mistake, and Bunny's anger had just flared up again. She put down her paints and stated, "Yeah, he's got some temper attitudes... I was just concerned about it, because he told me at lunch, and I didn't think you would be that mean to Bun, I mean you seem like a nice guy."

Jack, curious to know more about Tooth, laughed, "Wait, wait. Why are you so concerned about him and the whole thing? It was just a big misunderstanding, is all."

Tooth, loyal as ever, replied sharply, "Well, he _is_ my boyfriend." Feeling she had been harsh, she quickly added, "Someone's gotta be there for him when he gets his feelings hurt." Jack's eyes hardened, but playing it off laughed loudly, bright teeth shining. Tooth smiled, feeling a bit bad about her own joke.

Changing the subject, Tooth eagerly inquired, "So, have you made any new friends yet?"

Jack tapped his fingers on the table, thinking. He replied, "Well, yeah, a couple from lower grades, and I guess I could count you in too." He winked, and Tooth beamed happily. He added, "So, I'm guessing there isn't enough time for me to get anything done today?" He glanced over at the clock, signaling that the bell was to ring soon.

"Yeah, probably not," Tooth replied warmly, "But you can look at _my _masterpiece and learn a few tips from the master." She giggled, and Jack laughed along with her. They talked for a little while longer, then walked down to their lockers together. Tooth gave Jack the homework he had missed in social studies as they both packed up. Tooth took a bit longer this time, as she tried to work up her courage. Right as Jack was about to leave, she blurted out, "Hey, do you want to sit with us at lunch tomorrow?"

Jack slowly turned around, processing the question. After a moment of silence he replied, "Uh, sure, as long as you can keep Bunny off of me." Tooth laughed, and Jack smirked at her as he left.

Tooth practically jumped with excitement. He had said _yes!_ Closing her locker, she ran through the different scenarios of what tomorrow would bring as she walked out into the cold winter air.

* * *

**Thank you all for the follows and reviews! I'm having a lot of fun with the characters and scenarios, and hopefully you're enjoying it as well! Leave a review, I love hearing what you guys have to say, and I have a lot of ideas in store! **


	4. Tasteless Lunch

That night, Tooth contemplated telling Bunnymund that she had asked Jack to join them for lunch. She wanted Jack to be able to make a good first impression on Nightlight and Katherine, and hopefully make up for his earlier run in with Bunny. She decided not to tell him, in case he harbored bad feelings from earlier and was rude to Jack the following day.

And what abut Pitch? Tooth was happy she had taken a chance to befriend someone new, but was Pitch now there to stay? He had hardly talked at lunch that day, but it was probably because of Bunny's outburst. She wanted to be kind to him, but he wasn't the most important thing on her mind. She wanted to make sure Jack would feel welcome. Tooth couldn't shake the feeling that she just wanted to know more about this Jack Frost, and be able to befriend him.

Feeling embarrassed, she grabbed her fuzzy pillow that was in the shape of a tooth, a present from her mom from a few years back. She squeezed it tightly and began falling asleep, images of Bunny and Jack swirling in her head.

* * *

The following morning, Tooth woke to clear skies, but swaying trees told her there were harsh winds. The sun had just begun to melt some of the snow, but as she watched the morning news, it seemed there would be another heavy snowfall later that day. Tooth sighed, hoping for spring to come around soon.

As Tooth stepped outside, she saw Bunny waiting for her in his car. Tooth was old enough to drive, but Rashmi was constantly using the only car they shared. Bunny had happily obliged to giving her rides, and when he wasn't able to Nightlight or Katherine would usually help out instead.

Tooth ran up to the car and hopped in, turning around and stretching herself across the seat to give Bunny a hug. He squeezed her back, chuckling. Tooth giggled and ruffled his morning hair as he began to back out of her driveway.

"Quit it," He protested, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Tooth flashed a mischievous grin and pulled her hand away, commenting on how silly he looked in the mornings. As Bunny tried to redo his hair, he told her, "I'm not going to be able to drop you off after school today, if that's all right. We've got a match tonight."

Tooth nodded in understanding and said it was fine, and she could find a ride. Bunny had been very into soccer ever since he came from Australia, and recently had found a very nice club team that he enjoyed playing in. Tooth wasn't incredibly into sports, even though her mom had made her do gymnastics and tennis for a few years before she became fed up with it. Sometimes she would attend his games, but Bunny knew she wasn't very interested and didn't press her to go, even though he liked to see Tooth in the stands cheering him on.

* * *

They arrived at the school a few minutes later. Getting out and locking the car, Bunny walked over to Tooth and helped carry her stuff, even though she exclaimed she didn't need the help. As he took it to her locker and helped unpack her stuff, they chatted quietly in the halls that were slowly filling up with more people arriving. Tooth happily accompanied Bunny to his locker as well, then they hugged and went to their separate classes.

Tooth's mind was elsewhere as the morning classes slowly passed, hardly paying attention to the teachers. Constantly watching the clock, she anxiously awaited lunch.

Finally, the bell rang for lunch period, and Tooth quickly grabbed up her stuff and ran outside. Why was she so _nervous_? It was going to be fine, she told herself. She was hardly even friends with Jack, but she wanted to see if the group would really like him. Pushing her thoughts aside, she entered the cafeteria and sat at their normal spot, bringing out her lunchbox.

"May I sit here?" Tooth glanced up to see Pitch, awkwardly standing next to her. She nodded firmly and he placed his tray of food down, watching her with uneasy eyes as he sat across from her.

Nightlight came in shortly afterwards, smiling as always. He cast a curious glance over to Tooth once he saw Pitch was sitting with them again, but Tooth just waved it away.

"Hey Nightlight?" Tooth chirped, suddenly remembering something.

"Yeah, what's up, Tooth?" Nightlight looked up from his homework he was catching up on to Tooth's wondering face.

Tooth explained, "Bunny has a match tonight, and he can't drive me home from school. Do you think you'd be willing to?"

Nightlight scratched the back of his neck and replied, "Gosh, Tooth, I'm sorry, Katherine and I were going to head on over to the library after school to get some study time in on an AP test we have, but I'm sure I can see if it's all right with her-"

"No, that's fine," Tooth smiled, winking at him. She didn't want to be rude to Nightlight and intrude on any time he had with Katherine. She thought of who else she could ask as Katherine came trotting in with a large stack of books.

From the corner of the table, Pitch cleared his throat and said weakly, "Um.. Tooth.. if you n-need a r-"  
"Hey mates!" Bunny shouted as he clambered over to them. He sat down happily and wrapped an arm around Tooth's shoulder. Tooth silently praised Bunny for being in such a good mood.

"Why are you so happy?" Tooth grinned, leaning into Bunny's side.

"It's finally sunny out! Even if it's still bloody freezing." Bunny replied, smiling. Tooth loved it when Bunny fully smiled. His front teeth were a little big, but they shined brightly and Tooth adored it.

Katherine proclaimed, "I wouldn't count on it lasting for very long, the forecast called for heavy rain, and it looks like the clouds have already covered-"

"Ah, don't want to hear it, you'll ruin my fun." Bunny grumbled jokingly, waving a hand at her. Tooth snickered and took a glance around the room.

There was only one person missing.

Tooth wondered if Jack had forgotten about her request, or had been caught up in something. She tried not to look around the room in case Bunny saw her. A bit disappointed, Tooth turned around and tried to talk to her friends.

Tooth rubbed her hands together and looked over to Pitch, who was taking in the conversation silently. Trying to be friendly, she asked, "So, Pitch, do you like the snow?"

Pitch jerked his head up at Tooth and blushed awkwardly. He smiled, his somewhat crooked teeth showing, and looked down, quietly replying, "Uh, yeah, the snow is nice, I'm used to it being cold where I'm from so it doesn't bother me much."

Tooth nodded to herself, continuing, "So, are you having any more troubles with, erm.."

Pitch cut her off, "Ah, no, not as much as I was before. As long as I slip in and out of classes I should be able to avoid them." Trying to summon up his courage, he asked Tooth, "So, if Bunny and Nightlight can't give you a ride, maybe I-"

"Hey, Tooth!" Recognizing the voice, Tooth turned around and beamed as Jack Frost strolled in and sat down next to her, a plate of food in hand. He continued, "Sorry, I didn't know where you guys sit at lunch so it took me a while to find the table."

Bunny looked in disbelief from Tooth to Jack, his face burning. Staring Jack down, Bunny practically yelled, "Who the _hell_ do you think you are, Frost? Just strolling in and sitting down wherever you want, uninvited?"

Jack's face darkened into a cold mask, and as he was about to reply, Tooth grabbed Bunny's arm and simply stated, "Bun, _I _invited him." Bunny looked in awe at Tooth, not knowing what to say.

"Yeah, _Bun_," Jack broke the silence, "your girlfriend asked me to lunch, and I was only too happy to accept." He smirked jokingly, but his eyes were hardened like ice.

Bunny grabbed Tooth's shoulder protectively, glancing down at her. Why did Tooth even want to be friends with this guy? He was overconfident, cocky, and looked like he was up to no good. He retorted, "Well, Frost, you can stay, as long as you don't go trying to push any of us around."

Tooth rolled her eyes. Why was Bunny being so... _typical? _She sighed and tried to explain, "Bunny, he really is-"

"No, no, it's fine, Tooth. Let Cottontail boss you around all he wants, so help me from trying to say anything to you." Jack raised his hands innocently as he tried masking his sudden anger at the riled up Australian.

Bunny's face grew red as he seethed, "_What_ did you just call me?"

"Well," Jack replied, a crooked smile easing onto his face as he slipped out of his anger into a cool indifference, "You are a bunny, right? I mean, why would anyone else name you something so ridiculous, even though you do look more like a kangaroo to me."

Bunny grit his teeth and clenched his fists until his knuckles were white. He couldn't stand when people made fun of his unique name, and he wouldn't just let a newbie make fun of him like that.

Bunny began to get out of his seat when Tooth grabbed him around the waist and pulled him down, pleading, "Come on, you guys! Why can't you just try to get along?"

Bunny tried to gently shake her off, when an unfamiliar voice rose up. "Gentlemen, please!" They both turned to look at the voice, seeing Pitch at the opposite side of the table, already standing. He continued, "Tooth only asked Jack to accompany her to lunch. I've heard of your small feud with each other, but this is simply childish! All Tooth wants is for you two not to rip each others heads off, can't you see that?"

Bunny, somewhat surprised by Pitch's display, quietly sat back down. Tooth caught Pitch's eye and she breathed a silent thank you to him. He nodded in return and sat back down as well.

After an awkward moment of silence, the bell rang. Tooth got up and hugged Bunny goodbye, and he mumbled an apology to her. She squeezed him harder before leaving and beginning to walk off to Mr. North's class, when she felt a presence behind her. Turning, she saw Jack straddling behind.

Exasperated she exclaimed, "I hope you know I wanted you to make a good impression on the others, and that didn't go all too well!"

Jack chuckled, replying, "Yeah, sorry about that. I was hoping to as well, but the kangaroo seemed a bit determined to not let that happen. Good thing Pitch stepped in, he looked like he was about to knock me out."

Tooth giggled, then added, "It's a sensitive topic to him. It doesn't bother me as much when people say Tooth is a weird name, but I think he inherited part of it from his grandmother or something." Jack laughed loudly, and Tooth felt a bit bad. They walked into Mr. North's class together, taking a seat. Tooth handed Jack another piece of paper, and this time he thanked her for it.

As they struggled to take notes through Mr. North's thick accent, Jack quickly tore off a section of his paper and started to scribble on it. Tooth tried to glance at what he was writing, but he quickly crumpled it into a small ball. When Mr. North's back was turned, he silently threw it over to her desk. Snatching it up, she opened to see what was inside. On the note, Jack had scrawled in thin, slanted writing:

Are you understanding anything this guy is saying? I've gotten about three words in so far.

So, am I still invited to lunch tomorrow?

Tooth chuckled and wrote back:

It takes a good bit of practice to interpret his sentences. Most of the kids didn't do well first semester. I can give you the notes for today, since I've gotten most of them.

Also, of course you are, as long as you try to make up for today with Bunny.

She flicked the small crumbled ball back over to Jack, and finished up taking notes. As the bell rang, they both shouldered out of class into the art room, where they mostly worked on designs and landscapes. Afterwards, when school was over, they walked down to the lockers.

As Tooth gathered up her stuff, she suddenly remembered she didn't have a ride. Going to reach for her phone, she didn't find it. Searching her pockets and locker, it was still nowhere to be found! She must have left it in Bunny's car or at her house!

Tooth turned to Jack and asked, "Hey, do you happen to have a cell phone? I think I left mine at home, and I don't have a ride."

Jack looked over to Tooth as he closed his locker. He walked over and handed Tooth his phone, a small black one with a blue case, covered in snowflakes.

"You sure have a thing for snow." Tooth murmured as she looked at it.

"Yeah, it's my favorite season." Jack replied casually. Hesitantly, he answered, "You know, I might be able to give you a ride back." Tooth looked up from the phone, trying to contain her excitement.

Smiling, she exclaimed, "Would you? That would be _such _a big help!"

Jack nodded, thinking it over. Finally, he replied, "Yeah, I was going to go to a friend's house, but I could drop you off if it's not that far away."

Tooth's eyes burned with questions as she inquired, "A friend's house? Oh, I don't have a lot of homework, do you think I could come? My mom doesn't get home until the evening, so she wouldn't need me." She beamed, then quickly added, "I-if that's all right with your friend, of course."

Jack looked down at her shining violet eyes and bright, toothy grin, and couldn't help but smile back. He snickered, "Yeah, I think he'd be fine with it, he's a really nice kid." Rotating on his heel, he began to walk out, shouting, "Come on, Tooth! We're going for a ride!" He turned his head, grinning mischievously. Tooth quickly gathered up her things and ran up to his side, smiling happily. She couldn't believe Jack had invited her!

They clambered into Jack's car as he started the engine, pulling out of the parking lot and racing across town as white snow started to fall, beginning to pile up.


	5. Snowballs and Funtimes

Unlike her usual daydreaming self, Tooth was very attentive during the car ride. Her violet eyes were glistening as she thought of who Jack's friends were. She asked him excitedly, "So, what are your friends like? I haven't seen you hang out with them before."

Jack smiled in an embarrassed way and explained, "Well, yeah, I don't really have a ton of classes with them, but they live near me and they're pretty cool, for freshman. I don't hang around them too much, though."

Tooth nodded to herself and leaned forward in her seat. Most freshmen were either too scared to be friends with the upper classmen, or too cocky. They still had their middle school look about them, Tooth thought, smiling.

Jack pulled into a small neighborhood, his car flying like the wind. Tooth held onto her seat as they went racing past, enjoying the speed for once. Unlike Bunny's car, which seemed to hop into every knick in the road, Jack's ride was peaceful and fun at the same time. She did enjoy the way Bunny tried to keep the car in balance when she was inside, though.

Tooth, jumping out of her trance, tried to think of something to say. Suddenly, she remembered something from a few days ago. Awkwardly, she blurted out, "Hey, where were you a couple days ago during Mr. North's class?"

Jack's fists clenched slightly on the steering wheel before he commented, "We're here." Pulling into a small red bricked house, he avoided her question. Tooth thought back to the painting he had been working on in art. He had ignored her then, too! As she was about to speak again, Jack parked the car and slid out, not waiting on her. Tooth wondered if it was a sensitive topic. Jack hadn't talked once about where he had come from since he moved to Burgess, now that Tooth thought about it. She put it in the back of her mind for then, stepping out of the car and accompanying Jack to the front door of the house.

Jack rang the doorbell, and moments later the sound of feet could be heard, running towards the door. A young boy stuck his head out, short brown hair bouncing. When he saw Jack, he beamed happily and cried, "Hey, Jack! I didn't know if you were coming or not!"

A smile tugged at the corners of Jack's mouth, and he replied, "Hey Jamie, course I came. Oh, and this is my friend Tooth." He flicked a thumb over to the smiling young lady, who waved happily.

"H-hi Tooth," Jamie greeted, looking at her tan skin and deep purple eyes, "Nice to meet you. You Jack's girlfriend or something?"

Tooth blushed a deep red and exclaimed, "No! No, only a friend." She glanced over at Jack to see him slightly blushing, and giggled in spite of herself.

Jamie turned as more people ran down the steps, and two kids appeared in the doorway. "Jack!" they exclaimed simultaneously. A girl with a small cap on came walking in last, leading a smaller girl with blond hair that looked like she had cut it herself.

"Hey guys!" Jack called back to them, explaining to Tooth, "The brothers are Claude and Caleb, and the older girl is Pippa, and the young one is Sophie, or Soph." Tooth smiled brightly and introduced herself. All of them were freshmen, except for Sophie, who was still in elementary school.

After everyone had been introduced, Jack smiled mischievously, saying, "So, who wants to have a snowball fight?"

Jamie groaned playfully and said, "Isn't that for kids, Jack?"

Jack feigned shock and bounded down the porch into the front yard and fell back into a heap of snow on the ground, yelling, "What's more fun than this?"

The freshmen were swept up by Jack's happiness in the snow, quickly grabbing their things and racing down the porch to begin the attack. Tooth, caught up in the moment, raced down the steps as well and began gathering up snow, trying not to get hit. They ran around the small neighborhood, trying to build forts and spot good hiding places to throw snowballs from. They were all laughing happily, and by the time it was over, all of their faces were flushed from the cold. Jamie invited them into his house, where his mom, Mrs. Bennett, was making hot cocoa. They left their boots on the ground inside and shrugged off their snow covered jackets. Jamie invited them up to the den, where they laughed and talked until the sun began to go down, cupping their glasses of hot cocoa and enjoying one another's presence. All too soon, Jack and Tooth stood up to leave. Jamie and his friends waved them goodbye, sad to see their Jack and their new friend Tooth leave.

* * *

Tooth gave Jack the directions to her house, smiling to herself and rubbing her arms to warm up. Jack turned on the heater for Tooth as she gazed out the window of his car, looking at the snowflakes peppering the ground, covering the large piles that were already there. Sighing contentedly, she closed her eyes and breathed in, leaning her head back.

Jack glanced over at the girl sitting beside him, her rosy lips turned upwards into a faint smile, eyes closed, almost as if she was dreaming. The car jerked slightly and Jack's head reluctantly snapped back up onto the road. She didn't open her eyes, and Jack grinned to himself as the snowflakes swirled onto the ground. Winter _was _his favorite season, there was so much joy wrapped up in the coldness of the months, and he happily welcomed it all.

Pulling into Tooth's house, he silently parked the car. Turning to Tooth, he gently prodded her shoulder, whispering, "C'mon, Tooth, we gotta get you inside." Tooth murmured and shook his hand away, turning on her side. Jack smiled at the sleeping girl and opened his car door quickly, trying to not let any of the cold air escape inside.

Jack smoothly went to the other side of the car, gently opening the door and rubbing Tooth's shoulder. "Tooth," he murmured, "We're home, you gotta get to bed." Tooth's eyes fluttered and she groggily placed a hand on Jack's shoulder, trying to lift herself out of the car. Jack helped her onto the ground, half-carrying her.

Jack had to awkwardly keep her up by putting one hand on her waist, and he slowly walked her to the front door, using his other hand to ring the doorbell. Before Rashmi appeared, Tooth mumbled, barely audible, "..thanks... Ha..room.."

Suddenly, her eyes flitted open and she snapped awake, looking around at the scene before her. She felt Jack's hand on her waist, and stepped back, frightened to know what she had said when she had been almost asleep. Jack somewhat reluctantly took his hand off her waist, but before her lips could form a question, the door opened and Rashmi stepped outside, scolding, "I tried to call you earlier but you never answered, where was your phone?"

Tooth stumbled for words, and blurted out, "Uh, I think.. I think it's in my r-room, or with Bun.. I forgot it.."

Rashmi replied, "Well, next time, make sure to have it on you at all times, you may need it for an emergency." She glanced over to Jack and continued, "Uh, thank you for bringing her home, Mr..?"

Jack quickly answered, "Jack Frost. It was no problem at all, I invited her over to a friend's house after school and we lost track of time, my apologies."

Rashmi surveyed Jack, nodding. She thanked him once again, then her and Tooth walked inside. Tooth mumbled an apology to her mom, then started for the stairs. She walked past her mom's old collection of things from when she had been a flight attendant, before she had married and become involved in dentistry. Tooth loved looking at some of the old postcards, pins and trinkets her mom had collected from all around the world. Tooth slipped past and walked into her bedroom, quickly taking a shower and putting on some pajamas.

Tooth searched her room for her phone, and found it underneath the desk she usually kept by her bedside. Turning it on, she saw that she had 2 missed calls and voicemails. One was her mom asking where she was, and the second was from Bunnymund. She pressed play on the voicemail and put the phone up to her ear.

"_Hey, Tooth, it's Bun. I just got finished with the match, we smoked 'em. Should be another match coming up soon, and after that we may get to enter some tournaments. I hope Pitch gave you a ride home, sorry to just kind of leave you like hanging like that. And uh, sorry again about my temper today. I didn't try to forgive Jack, and I apologize for that. If he's willing to come again, I'll try to be the bigger man next time. Anyways, see you tomorrow... love ya kiddo."_

Tooth smiled at Bun's message while she listened to it. Why did he say Pitch would give her a ride home? Then it dawned on her that he had been fumbling for words at lunch earlier. She smacked her hand against her head, feeling stupid and embarrassed that she hadn't noticed Pitch. She hoped he wasn't mad about it.

When Bunny apologized for his behavior, Tooth beamed to herself, proud that he wasn't angry anymore. She took the phone back down from hear ear and opened a new message to bunny, typing:

_Hey Bun! I'm glad you won your game! I got a ride from Jack, and we went over to Jamie Bennett's house, a freshman friend of Jacks. I told Jack he could come to lunch again, thank you so much for trying to be on your best behavior next time. Night!_

_~Tooth_

Tooth plopped down into bed, letting sleep envelop her. Hopefully Bunny and Jack would become close friends.

* * *

**A big thank you to everyone that has been following and reviewing my story! I really love reading every single review, especially when you guys take your time to write long ones! They're really motivational to me and I hope you guys are really enjoying the story! Spring break is gonna be over soon, sadly :c Which means I might not be able to update as quickly, but I promise I'll try my best!**


	6. Studies and Snow

**Ahhhhh this chapter took a while for me to think up X3**

**It's kind of a filler chapter, if you'll bear with me, but hopefully I've set some stuff up clearly.**

**Thank you all for following my story, please leave a review!**

* * *

Weeks passed.

Jack slowly grew into the group, with a great amount of effort from Bunny. Tooth was really proud of him for keeping his cool, and he soon saw the fun, joking side of Jack Frost, even though Bunny still held a grudge against him. Jack never asked Tooth about who Haroom was, something she was thankful for. She wasn't ready to give him that information yet, the only people she had told were her small group of friends. Every day though, Jack was getting a bit closer, something she was happy of. She wasn't the only one with secrets, though. Jack would occasionally skip the last couple classes of the day, then show up later as if nothing happened. Tooth wanted to know why he was skipping and where he was going in that time, but he always found a way around her questions, and he would become cold, his eyes hardening, when she tried to ask. She didn't want to seem like she was prying, so she usually let it go, even though it was always nagging at the back of her mind.

Pitch had become closer as well. He was a bit of an oddball, and usually liked to keep quiet, but when Tooth could get him to speak, he would heartily join in the conversation. He never said anything to Tooth about her rejecting his attempts at a ride, even after Tooth had apologized. He was funny at times, but he also had his bad days where he wouldn't speak and just looked sad and angry. Tooth wondered if it was something to do with his home life, but he never let on about it.

As the months began to pass, it soon dawned on Tooth that January was about to finish up, and February was on its way. Tooth couldn't contain her excitement about the spring months drawing ever nearer. Valentine's day was also beginning to pop up, something Tooth always looked forwards to. Unlike most people, Tooth's small group of friends had a particularly strange and fun way of going about Valentine's Day. They would buy small gifts for one another, almost like a mini Christmas, and on February 14 at lunch would pass them out to one another. Tooth loved picking out gifts, usually something fun for Nightlight and Katherine, and something sweet for Bunny. The gifts had to be pretty cheap, as they didn't all have a lot of money, and this year there were 2 more people to buy for.

Jack and Pitch were enlightened on this strange concept during one of their regular study sessions at Tooth's house. Jack, Pitch, and Bunny all had Mr. North for their social studies teacher, so they usually banded together to study for his complicated tests, trying to decipher the notes that had been given in his thick Russian accent. It was a bit tedious, but always fun, and it made Tooth feel good knowing she could help the others with their schoolwork.

"So, we buy one thing for everyone?" Pitch clarified.

Tooth nodded and answered, "It's usually just something small and simple, like some candies or chocolates, because we don't want to spend too much. It's not a restriction, though." She had been planning in her mind what she was going to get for Bunny. He was pretty easy to get gifts for, but Tooth wanted to give him something really good. Bunny had asked Tooth out for their first date sometime around Valentine's Day, so it was always a pretty special time for her.

They all sat in silence for a bit, writing down notes and contemplating what they could get for one another. Jack smirked after a little while and murmured, "I'm terrible with gifts."

Bunny laughed and added, "I am too, mate, but it's pretty hard to compete with Tooth and Nightlight, they seem to know just what to get."

Tooth beamed happily. She took pride in being able to pick out what people would want, but Nightlight was even better. Tooth believed he was able to get such good gifts because he talked so little, giving him a lot of time to listen and hear about the others, piling up their likes and interests in his mind.

Their small group was in a circle on the floor, their stuff piled into the center as they sat or lay around it, reaching in every once and a while to pull some more notes out. Tooth got up from her spot on the floor and stretched, smiling warmly. She stepped over the pile of papers and walked over to the window, peering outside.

Just when the weather had seemed to be getting warmer, a harsh cold had blown in, and it had been snowing for days. It reminded her of when Jack first moved to Burgess, when it had snowed almost that entire week. She rubbed her arms as she looked outside, glad that she was inside and warm. The winds were incredibly harsh, and snow fell down on the ground as fast as it could. It had been building up for a good amount of time, and Tooth silently hoped school might just be cancelled.

"Gosh, it's getting bad out there," Tooth exclaimed, "Makes me want something warm. You guys want anything to drink? I'm thinking I just might make some hot cocoa."

Three hands flew up into the air behind her, and Tooth couldn't help but giggle. Bunny, Jack, and Pitch had all experienced her hot cocoa before, and couldn't get enough of it. Tooth had learned a secret recipe from her mom when she was little, and her friends all agreed it was some of the best tasting hot chocolate they had ever had.

Strolling into the kitchen, Tooth got out her supplies and started making the drink, humming a song out loud. She put some milk into a pot and put it on the stove to warm, something she thought made it taste really good. As she prepared it, she forgot that there were people in the next room and began to sing a bit louder, making up the words as she went along. Tooth swirled the ingredients in with a spoon, letting it simmer. She took four cups out and, still singing, poured the hot cocoa in, adding a few small marshmallows. As she walked back into the main den, she blushed when Bunny proclaimed, "That's my songbird!" He burst out laughing, Jack and Pitch joining in.

Tooth set the drinks down in front of all of them, taking a big sip out of Bunny's before handing it to him.  
"Hey!" he exclaimed, grabbing the cup up, "That's mine! Why'd you do that?"

Tooth laughed and said, "That's for making fun of my singing!"

Bunny hooked an arm around Tooth and replied, "I wasn't making fun! You're singing is beautiful," he looked down at his cup and added, "Though maybe the cost of saying it was a bit much..."

Tooth laughed, her voice clear as a bell, before tipping some of her drink into his cup to make up for it. Bunny smiled and took a big gulp, not caring that the drink was still rather hot.

They sat there for a bit longer, asking each other questions every now and then about the material and getting each other's papers. As it turned dark outside, Rashmi came in with a happy greeting from the group, stating that the snow was getting harsh and they needed to leave soon, before it got too bad. Pitch thanked the group and gathered up his stuff, saying he had to get home soon before someone started worrying. They all said goodbye as Pitch walked out to his sleek black car, piling his stuff in before driving away.

Soon, they grew tired of studying, and decided to watch something instead. Jack flipped through the channels as Bunny and Tooth stacked up the rest of the notes into their own separate piles. Bunny helped Tooth up, then a buzzing came from his pocket. He pulled out his phone and read the message.

"W-what.." Bunny stared down at the text. Tooth asked what was on it and he replied, "My mum just said she got some news from the soccer team and I need to head home." He looked up excitedly at Tooth. He exclaimed, "This might be it, Tooth! We could have gotten into the tournament!"

"Bunny, that's great!" Tooth smiled happily, wrapping him in a big hug. She continued, "You need to go home and find out! Don't worry, Jack will probably leave soon, so you just text me with the news, alright?" Bunny nodded and thanked Tooth, hugging her back happily. He slapped Jack on the back warmly and gathered his stuff, heading out.

Jack watched him go out with a surprised look on his face. He turned to Tooth, a little shocked. Tooth glanced back down at Jack, suddenly curious as to why he was looking at her like that. "Welp," Jack said after a moment, "there goes my ride."

Tooth looked back at the door where Bunny had been moments earlier, then her gaze fell back on Jack. She smiled, chuckling, then suddenly burst into a fit of giggles, Jack accompanying her. After the laughs subsided, she replied, "I'm sorry, he must've forgotten he drove you here, he was so excited!" trying to contain her laughter, she added, "Here, I can take you home, let me just get my coat."

Tooth walked up the stairs to her bedroom, grabbing her coat out of her closet. Suddenly, it dawned on her. This was the first time she was going to see Jack's house. She had never even met his parents! He had usually driven himself over to one of their houses, or gotten rides from one of their friends. Excited, she rushed back downstairs, to see Jack already packed up. She went to find her mother and explained the situation to her before heading out with Jack. They piled into her mother's old car, a sturdy small one that looked well used.

Tooth pulled out of the driveway and onto the street, Jack giving her directions. As she was driving, Jack pulled his knees up to his chin, deep in thought. Tooth tried to peer over and keep an eye on the road at the same time. Finally, she asked, "You okay, Jack?"

He didn't answer her at first, but gazed at the snowflakes raining down on the ground. After a couple of minutes, he sighed, closing his eyes. Tooth wondered if he was feeling well. Jack sucked in a large breath and he turned his head to face her, eyes boring into hers. Tooth smiled comfortingly at him, and Jack tried to muster a grin back at her, but his eyes left her gaze. Suddenly, he whispered, "Who is Haroom?"

Tooth's grip on the steering wheel tightened. It had been a pretty good time since the incident, almost a full month. Tooth had hoped Jack would have brushed it off, but apparently he had kept hold of the memory. Was Tooth ready to tell him now? She wasn't sure if Jack was close enough to her yet.

It was silent for a few more minutes. Jack awkwardly continued, "I only remember.. the night when you were tired and I walked you up to your porch.. after you said it you seemed really surprised of yourself."

Tooth sat there, a little shocked, as a million things flew through her mind. She took a deep breath and exhaled, eyes firmly set on the road. She stated, "He was my father."

Jack perked up, not expecting a response. His eyes softened as he clicked the pieces together. Scared to ask more, he kept quiet.

"He was a dentist like my mom. He was so compassionate.. We used to do everything together. He taught me how to cook most of the stuff I know, and he was always really kind to me," Tooth began, the words flowing out of her mouth. Once she started, they gushed forth like a dam breaking loose. She had to let this out, to get this off of her chest; Jack _needed_ to know.

Tooth continued, "He was also a missionary. He loved going out around the world and helping the people there. He would take up all of his dentist supplies and just leave for a few weeks. He didn't do it super often, with us back at home, but whenever he was away it felt like years were dragging by. My mother had recently finished up her job as a flight attendant, so that she could take care of me, when dad got asked to go out again. Of course he agreed, it was going to be like all the other times, wasn't it?" A tear rolled down her cheek and Jack leaned across, wiping it off for her.

Tooth thanked him and kept explaining, "That day, as he was on the flight, there was some turbulence issues. They didn't think much of it, but then it got a lot worse. I don't really know the specifics, I didn't really _want _to know, but ultimately the plane crashed. Most of the people on board survived, but a couple.." she trailed off and bit down on her lip, trying not to cry. Jack, unsure of how to comfort her, awkwardly rubbed her arm as she drove, eyes a bit blurry.

"Oh, gosh Tooth, I'm sorry I brought it up," Jack said sincerely. He placed his hand on her back and rubbed in small, rhythmic circles.

Tooth sniffled again and answered, "No, you're fine, it's just hard for me.. My mom and I haven't been on a plane since, and that was years ago. It was just so sudden.. I'm sorry you have to see me like this, I'm such a mess." Normally, Tooth would have been surprised or even angered by anyone touching her like Jack was, except for Bunny. Jack had calmed her, though, and she happily accepted it, so that she wouldn't begin to cry.

It was silent for a few moments, Jack still rubbing her back and looking at her face while she drove and tried to avoid eye contact.

"Here?" Tooth questioned, looking at a somewhat familiar neighborhood.

"Yeah, just drive past Jamie's house, then take the first left you see." Jack answered, looking up.

Tooth kept driving until she appeared in front of a small wooden house. There was a single light on inside, and it looked comforting in the cold snow.

"It's cute," Tooth said, trying to muster a smile.

Jack chuckled and replied coldly, "Maybe from the outside." He took his hand off her back, and Tooth had hardly realized it was there. Jack picked up his stuff and opened the car door quickly. Making a split-second decision, Tooth hopped out as well.

"What're you doing?" Jack inquired, spinning around. Tooth walked up to him and replied it was only nice to walk a guest to their door. Jack grinned in spite of himself, and the two walked up to the porch, shivering a bit from the cold.

Jack knocked on the door, seeming somewhat at ease with the cold, while Tooth huddled as close as she could to him to get warm.

After a few seconds, the door opened and the small porch was flooded with light. Tooth looked up into the eyes of a strong, muscular man, who had a short, snow white beard and receding hair line. He looked somewhat fancily dressed for sitting at home, and smiled brightly at the two young adults.

"Ah, Jack! I was wondering when you were going to get home," he exclaimed in a smooth, baritone voice, grasping Jack by the shoulders, "And who are you, my young lady? Let me just say you're very pretty."

Tooth blushed and replied, "Thank you, sir. My name's Toothiana, but you can call me Tooth."

The man laughed, and Tooth noticed his impeccably white and shining teeth. They were almost better than Jack's! He smiled, "Tooth, I've heard a lot about you! My name is Mr. Frost, but most people call me Mr. Moon. Thank you for taking my son home, you're welcome any time."

Tooth couldn't help but smile back at Mr. Moon, or was it because he said he had heard a lot about her? She waved goodbye to Jack and his father, turning around to scramble back into her car.

Driving home, Tooth smiled to herself. She was glad Jack had taken the weight off of her chest.

* * *

**I hope you all liked the chapter!**

**As I said, a little filler-y, but hopefully I did well!**

**Again, I just want to thank you all, and please leave a review so that I know the story is going well! *cookies for you all***


	7. A Test of Friendship

**Wow this chapter is actually pretty long! **

**I tried to be a bit more descriptive, but not overly crazy!**

**Also I added some random characters in, I hope you guys are okay with that!**

**I hope you like this chapter, please leave a review!**

* * *

Arriving back at home, Tooth shrugged off her coat and went upstairs. It was getting late, and she had to take North's test tomorrow, so she wanted to get some sleep. After showering and putting on pajamas, she climbed into bed with her phone so that she could text Bunny.

She turned her phone on to see she had 2 new texts. She clicked on the one that said it was from Bunny. It read:

_Tooth! Great news. We got into the tournament! I'll tell you more at lunch tomorrow. _

Tooth grinned and texted back:

_Awesome! I'm so glad. I decided to tell Jack about Haroom._

Tooth shook her head after sending the text, wondering why she told Bunny. It had taken a lot to tell Jack, and this was only the second time she had said anything about it to a friend of hers. She remembered when she had decided to tell Bunny, Nightlight and Katherine. She had been crying by the end of it, barely being able to push her words out as they tried to comfort her. She still missed Haroom, every single day. Minutes barely passed before her phone brightly shined again, reading:

_You okay? How did he find out?_

Tooth smiled, remembering how Bunny had comforted her when she had told him. He had always been so nice to her, even before they were dating. Thinking about her answer, she responded:

_Yeah. It wasn't any easier, but.. I feel a bit better now. I accidentally let something slip a few weeks ago about him, apparently he didn't forget. _

She sent the text, then remembered there had been 2 texts on her phone. Looking in the message box, she found a text from Nightlight, asking:

_Hey! You wanna go shopping together Saturday? We need to work on the Valentine's Day gifts!_

Tooth giggled at Nightlight's eagerness. Sometimes they would collect their efforts to buy things for the others, and she was glad for Nightlight's comments on what she was going to get. She replied:

_Yeah, Saturday's fine, if you can pick me up!_

She closed her eyes after sending the text, sleep beginning to make her eyes itchy. Under her eyelids she could see the phone flash up, one last message from Bunny. Tooth read:

_I'm proud of you, Tooth. Get some sleep. Love ya, kiddo. _

Tooth smiled again as she set her phone down, letting sleep envelop her.

The next day, Tooth's morning classes flew by. As she went to lunch, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous, knowing that the next class after lunch was North's test. She took her things and sat at their normal table, taking out her notes to glance over them once again. She had good grades in all of her classes, but she always got nervous before a test. As she munched on her food and reread her scribbled on notes, Nightlight swept in and plopped down into a seat across from Tooth, leaning against the table. Tooth looked up to see Nightlight looked a bit urgent, so she leaned in as well.

"I can pick you up this Saturday," he started, cupping a hand over his mouth, "But I need your help. I want to get Katherine something sweet, more than the regular stuff, ya know?"

Tooth beamed at him, and Nightlight blushed fiercely. She whispered back, "Yeah, I can help, if you can help me with Bunny. You know about anything he wants?"

Nightlight shook his head, but as he was about to reply, Katherine came strolling in, placing a larger number of books on the table than normal. Tooth asked incredulously, "Katherine, I know you like reading, but why do you have so many books?"

Katherine giggled and happily explained, "The library is selling some old books that haven't been checked out in years. They're giving a lot of them away for free, because if they don't the poor things will either get put somewhere else to collect dust, or thrown away."

Tooth couldn't help but get excited. Maybe they had some books on teeth! She loved to read, but just didn't seem to have the time, due to her constant schoolwork and hanging out with her friends. Excited, she exclaimed, "I would love to go after school, if they're open!"

Katherine nodded and continued, "They'll be open for 15 minutes after school. Once I have these all in my backpack, I think I'll try to go back for more, if they let me!" She laughed with Tooth and Nightlight, excited about the prospect of new things to read. Katherine, no matter what she was doing or how much time she spent with the group, always seemed to be finishing one book and opening up another.

"So, what books did you get?" Nightlight inquired eagerly.

"Oh, well there was this one on the color schemes of tropical birds, and then this one on the study of caffeine in- oh! Hey Bunny!" Katherine stopped mid-sentence as Bunny plopped down next to Tooth, rubbing his temples.

"That bad, huh?" Tooth asked. He had been taking North's test the class before lunch.

"I just wish he would realize he needs to try and write his tests in English we can understand." Bunny replied, shaking his head. Bunny usually got pretty good grades, but he was struggling with Mr. North this year, as he didn't always agree with what North said in class. Tooth, a little stressed by Bunny's reply, read over her notes another time, asking herself questions to make sure she had the material down.

Pitch came in afterwards, giving a more assuring statement. "It wasn't too bad, as far as material goes," he explained, "as long as you can figure out what the question is asking."

Tooth nodded, still thinking. She had been in North's class the entire year, so she was better at decoding his strangely worded questions. She knew it wasn't his fault, but most of the students wished that he would borrow a test from one of the other teachers for once.

As usual, Jack came straddling in last. He sat down on the other side of Tooth, crunching down on an apple. He looked over at Tooth, who was running her fingers through her hair, desperately trying to implant the notes in her mind. He wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his blue jacket, asking, "What's got you in a bundle of nerves?"

Tooth explained, "North's tests.. they aren't exactly easy, because of his writing. And he doesn't give a lot of grades, so it's kinda big, and that means I _need _to study!" she looked up, a bit frantic. Jack was taken aback and looked over to Tooth's shoulder, silently asking Bunnymund if this was normal. He replied it was.

Bunny turned to Tooth and awkwardly patted her shoulder, saying, "Uh.. Tooth, it's not _that _bad, and considering you've had all A's on your report card since you were an anklebiter, I think you've got this."

Tooth thanked Bunny for his encouragement, but still studied furiously until the end of the lunch break. She walked with Jack to Mr. North's class, butterflies in her stomach.

Sitting down at her seat, she received the test and began to slowly work on it. She knew most all of the answers, of course, after she had a few minutes to figure out the question. Over halfway through the test, she was just beginning to feel good about it when something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. North was gazing at his desk, grading tests from earlier classes. Tooth being near the back of the class, North hadn't seen the small, crumpled ball of paper hit Tooth's desk.

Passing notes in class? During a _test?_ Tooth had been too focused on her exam to see who had thrown the paper, so maybe it was intended to hit another desk beside hers? She decided to take a quick peek, slowly unrolling the paper, trying to be as quiet as possible. On the inside there was a note scrawled in familiar writing:

_You okay, Tooth? You looked like you were going to pass out at the beginning of class. Got any ideas for Valentine's presents?_

_Jack_

Tooth crumpled the paper back up. She was _not_ going to get caught passing notes during the test! She ignored the crumpled ball and went back to working on the exam. As she was about to finish up, a second ball landed on her desk. Tooth opened it as well to see another note.

_So you're not gonna answer me now? It's not like I'm asking you for answers or anything. I finished a while ago, anyways._

Tooth was surprised by the last sentence. Had Jack gone through the test that quickly? Come to think of it, Tooth didn't really know about Jack's scores or GPA. She had assumed he was pretty hardworking, but she didn't believe someone could blow through one of North's tests that easily and come out with a good grade. She decided to ignore the second ball as well, waiting for when she had finally finished her test to answer him.

After she answered the last question, she quickly skimmed back through the test, then stacked her papers and got up to put them on North's desk. Jack waited for her to get up, then slid out of his chair, accompanying her.

Tooth placed her test in the small pile that had started to pile up on North's desk. As she turned around, Jack whispered to her, barely audible, "How'd ya do?"

Tooth stuck a thumb up, slightly grinning. Jack smiled back and mouthed, "Me too."

Tooth grinned, making her way back to her seat. So Jack felt good about the test? And he had still finished that quickly? Usually Tooth was one of the first people done, she couldn't believe Jack had beaten her!

She sat back down and pulled out Jack's note from earlier, taking out a pen to write back:

_Sorry, I'm so nervous about passing notes in class, I couldn't even think of doing it during a test! I have been thinking of some Valentine's Day stuff, but I can't let you in on it, it's a surprise!_

She aimed the note at Jack, flicking it over to him. It landed squarely on his desk, and he couldn't help but grin. He opened it up and read it, taking out a pencil to write back. When Tooth received the note, he had placed underneath her writing:

_You're such a good girl, Tooth, never passing notes in class. And I've been thinking, too. I'm going out this weekend to look around. Wanna come? I need your gift skills._

Tooth gazed down at the paper, already feeling bad about her reply. She couldn't say yes to Jack, not when she was already going with Nightlight! She hated letting her friends down. She contemplated bringing Jack along, but she needed to spend some time on his present, and she didn't want him accidentally finding out before Valentine's Day. She wrote back:

_Sorry, Jack. I promised Nightlight I would go with him on Saturday. I still need to think of a present for you, I was planning to buy most of my stuff with Nightlight. I'm sorry. _

Tooth tossed the paper over to Jack, feeling a bit dejected.

As Jack read over the words, he couldn't help but look a bit crestfallen. He was really hoping Tooth would have been able to go with him. Hoping Tooth hadn't seen his face, he tried to mask it with a look of indifference. He decided not to reply, in case he was looking a bit needy.

Tooth silently wondered why Jack hadn't written back to her. She hoped he wasn't too upset, and not angry with her. As the bell rang, and she stepped out to go to Mr. Sandy's classroom, she couldn't help but worry that she had said the wrong thing to Jack. As they sat down together to work on their project, she blurted out, "I'm so-"

"Don't be," Jack cut her off a bit gruffly, adding, "It's not a big deal, anyways."

Tooth, still a bit unsure, decide not to talk about it. She looked down at her painting she was working on. Mr. Sandy had asked for them to make their own project, as long as it was following certain guidelines. The painting had to be fully covered, with a border of some sort, and symbolize something that mattered to them. Tooth had thought about what she was going to design, when it had popped into her head- teeth. She had brought in an old picture of herself, that was ripped and torn from years of her mother carrying it around. It was Tooth as a little girl, showing off a big, toothy grin. She remembered she had been decked out in feathers for a play, in which she was supposed to be the songbird. She only had a couple of lines, but she was one of the only characters in the play that got to sing, and after the play was over her parents had given her a large bouquet of beautifully bright flowers. Tooth was drawing herself smiling on the picture, costume on. The picture's border was made up of flowers as bright and colorful as she remembered the ones her parents giving her.

Jack had laughed about it when Tooth brought the picture in, seeing her small, shining face that accompanied her large, beautiful eyes. Jack had gone a different route with his painting. He decided to try and encompass winter in one picture. He didn't want to make it look cold and harsh, like most people believed it was. Instead, he had decided to draw a small scene of a forest. The outer edges of the forest were dark, but the small opening was awash with light from a campfire. A small girl huddled around the fire, the light reflecting onto her face, as she sat with her mother and father. She had long, light brown hair, and Jack could almost feel the warmth of the fire on his own face. He had bordered it with beautifully decorated snowflakes, each a different shape and size. Tooth had thought it was amazing, but she didn't know the real story behind it.

After working on the projects until the bell, they walked out together, quietly chatting. After getting the supplies from their lockers and heading out of the school, Jack and Tooth said goodbye to one another, heading their separate ways. Tooth pulled out her phone, sending a text to Katherine that she was heading to the library.

As she opened the large doors to the ancient looking library, the musty smell of books hit her nose and light spread throughout the room from the multiple windows situated in a number of places. The librarian, Mrs. Baalat, was pooling over a large encyclopedia, her glasses almost falling off of her face. She was a tall, slender older woman with rich black hair that was tied up in a bun. She wore loose clothing, usually puffy and semi elegant. Looking up and seeing Tooth, a warm smile crossed the woman's face, and she beckoned Tooth over eagerly.

"Are you here for the book sale? I thought you might come," Mrs. Baalat inquired, getting up from her desk to walk Tooth over to multiple stacks of large books placed neatly on some empty tables. A few kids milled about, glancing over the books every so often. Tooth thanked Mrs. Baalat and went to sort through the books.

As Tooth searched for books on teeth, she heard the library door open again, and moments later Katherine was standing by her side. "Hey, Tooth!" she exclaimed, dropping her laden backpack on the ground with a satisfying thump. Tooth wondered just how many books were in there as Katherine questioned, "Find anything good yet?"

Tooth shook her head, replying, "I've found a bunch of ancient art books, and a couple of neat mythology books, but nothing on teeth." She glanced over the covers once again, straining to find something.

"Five minutes, everyone!" Mrs. Baalat called from her counter. Tooth decided to take one last sweep over the books before heading out with Katherine. As she was almost done with her search, something caught her eye.

Tooth walked over, gently taking the book out and brushing it off. The cover was plain blue and a bit dusty. The original cover must have been taken off, because she didn't see the title, but she saw what had made her take a second glance at the book. On the spine, there was one single snowflake, shining brilliant white in contrast to the blue. Tooth opened the book and gasped excitedly as she was greeted with millions of pictures of snowflakes and designs. There was all kinds of information in here on them! Tooth could barely contain her excitement as she exclaimed to Katherine, "Hey! I think I might have just found Jack's Valentine's Day present!"

Katherine put down a book she was leafing through to walk over to Tooth, gently taking the book out of her hands to examine it. "Woah, this is beautiful, Tooth!" She exclaimed as she looked at the different snowflake patterns. She added, "Jack would completely love this, I know how he likes winter. What a find!"

Tooth giggled excitedly, asking Katherine if she was done searching. After adding a few more books to her growing pile, Katherine and Tooth made their way over to Mrs. Baalat's desk.

"Will these cost any?" Tooth asked as she placed her books next to Katherine's.

"My, my, I haven't seen this book in ages.." Mrs. Baalat murmured, sweeping up Tooth's book to look through it herself, "Oh, this is simply marvelous! You know what, I'll give it to you for free, Toothiana, on one condition."

Tooth glanced into the librarian's eyes eagerly, asking what the condition was. Mrs. Baalat continued, "You need to visit the library more! I hardly ever see you, I recall you used to be quite the bookworm!"

Tooth giggled and promised Mrs. Baalat she would try to visit more often as the kind librarian handed the book back to her in a small plastic bag. Katherine only had to pay a small amount for the large number of books she had purchased, then they walked out of the library together, parting ways at the front of the school.

Tooth saw Bunny waiting in the car, and she hurried over to him, hoping he wasn't upset for the wait. She hopped in, glad of the warmth inside the car.

"Test go well for you?" Bunny questioned as she rubbed her hands together, trying to get warm.

"Yeah." she replied, smiling up at him. He mumbled an 'I told you so' before backing out of the parking lot and beginning the short drive to Tooth's house.

"So," Bunny continued after a short while, "I didn't get to tell you at lunch, because you seemed a bit freaked out, but about the tournament..."

"Oh!" Tooth looked up, forgetting Bunny's text from last night. She had forgotten he had been put in the tournament! She waited for him to continue his explanation, eyes big and curious.

Bunny chuckled at her small gasp, then kept going, "So yeah! We got in! It was a big surprise. The tournament is gonna be in about 3 weeks, at the end of February. I'll be gone for just the weekend is all, but hopefully if we win the tournament we can go to finals."

Tooth beamed and congratulated, hugging his arm as he steered with the other. "I bet it's going to come so fast! I'm gonna miss you, even if it's just for one weekend." Tooth proclaimed. Bunny laughed and ruffled her hair playfully as he drove her home.

* * *

Saturday came quickly, and that morning she was waiting outside with a small coat on and jeans that accompanied some new brown boots her mother had bought her. Nightlight pulled up and Tooth happily clambered into his car, beaming.

"How much money did you bring? I didn't know how much I should.." Nightlight asked as he pulled out of her driveway.

"Uh, I brought a hundred, but I was thinking about getting something nice for Bunny, so you might not need that much." Tooth replied, feeling her small purse to make sure her wallet was there.

Nightlight nodded, explaining, "I brought about a hundred or so as well. I really have no idea what to get Katherine, I'm kind of nervous." He rolled his shoulders, glancing over at Tooth, who was smiling mischievously.

"Don't worry, Nightlight," she answered, "We'll find something just great."

Nightlight smiled thankfully back as they sped off towards the mall.

At the mall, everything was boisterous and busy. There were hearts and candies in a bunch of the shop windows, sales signs everywhere that were counting off for Valentine's Day. Tooth wasn't a big fan of going to the mall, unless she was with friends. You got pushed around by other people so much, and it was always the same thing, so she preferred having her friends go with her, even though the guys hated it as much as she did.

"Okay," Nightlight breathed as they walked in, "Who do you want to start on?" Whenever Tooth and Nightlight went shopping for presents, they would both collect their efforts to try and find a present for one person as quick as they could.

"Uh, let's do Pitch first, he should be pretty easy." Tooth answered. She added, "Hey, I bought a present for Jack already, so you're gonna have to find that on your own time."

Nightlight shuddered in spite of himself. Pitch? She didn't know why Tooth was so nice to everybody, but that guy just gave him the creeps. Brushing it off, her replied, "That's fine. Where do you want to go to look?"

Tooth put a hand on her hip, thinking. Suddenly she shouted, "Aurora's!" clambering off in the direction of the store. It was a shop owned by a beautiful woman named Aurora, who had long blond hair and a face that seemed to be eternally daydreaming. Nightlight quickly followed after Tooth into the small shop, full of small, strange trinkets.

Tooth wandered around the shop, searching for anything that might remind her of Pitch. As she was wondering the shelves, she saw some small half moon charms, some of them clear white and others made out of some weird, dark rock.

"Aurora, how much for one of these?" Tooth asked, picking up an especially dark one that shimmered with reflected light.

"Hmm? Oh, those, yes... about 5 dollars or so I would say.. hmm, yes, that's it, they're 5 dollars." Aurora came floating in from the back of the shop, looking like she just woke up. She picked up one of the moon charms, placing it back before gliding back the way she had come. Tooth took the small charm and bought it, hoping she could possibly give it to Pitch.

Nightlight bought Jack a staff object that was carved out of wood and painted to look like it had just been frosted with snow. Aurora gave it to him for cheap, and Tooth exclaimed he would love it.

A couple of stores over, Nightlight bought Pitch a long, black jacket. It looked as if it would fit him perfectly, and Tooth was a bit envious of Nightlight's precision with his gifts.

Next, they looked for Katherine. Tooth could see Nightlight get nervous as they walked into the shops, desperately seeking a gift that would be appropriate for Katherine. Tooth commented, "You know, you could always get her jewelry. Girls like that kind of stuff."

Nightlight immediately shook his head, explaining, "Katherine's not really into that kind of thing. She's more, oh I don't know, she's just so creative! I can't think of what to get her, honestly I wish I could." He leaned on Jack's staff, sighing.

Tooth giggled and answered, "Well, we both know that Katherine likes books, so I think I might have an idea."

She dragged Nightlight into Thoth's paper store. Thoth was a lover of books and writing, and he owned a large paper store with scrolls stuffed into every corner. He had made a bunch of origami birds and stuck them from the ceiling, adding a nice effect to his calming shop. Thoth also had a couple of journals and art supplies hidden around, and Tooth remembered seeing them before.

Nightlight walked with her over to a stand of some of the most beautiful journals he had ever seen. They were fancily decorated on the outside, and the inside was full of good, crisp paper, that was ready for writing. He proclaimed, "Oh, Tooth, she would love one of these! She's always thinking about writing her own stories, but she always loses all of the papers with all of the stuff she carries around! Do you think it's too little?" he looked into Tooth's eyes, worrying that his present wouldn't be enough.

Tooth replied reassuringly, "You know she doesn't ask for much usually. This will be a big surprise, I promise she'll love it." Nightlight beamed and went to go pay for the books as Tooth looked around the store. She picked up a book, reading the cover. It stated, "The Art of Calligraphy." It contained a set of calligraphy pens, and some old looking parchment to practice on. Tooth thought it fit Katherine perfectly. She was always getting into a new hobby after reading books on the subject, and sometimes it was hard to keep up with what she was into. Tooth remembered when Katherine had switched from knitting, to money origami, to tropical fish, all in the span of a month! Tooth bought the set, hoping Katherine would like it.

Next up, Bunny. Tooth sighed, still unsure of what to get him. Nightlight, who had spent a good bit of money on Katherine's present, decided to get something simple for Bunny. They went into a sports shop, and Nightlight bought a jersey of Bunny's favorite soccer player. Tooth didn't find anything she liked in the shop, so they kept walking.

Tooth popped into a few shops, until she saw something that caught her eye. On a small rack of items, there were two boomerangs, neatly carved. Tooth picked them up, feeling the smooth wood underneath her fingers. They were beautiful! She purchased them immediately, thinking it would be a perfect gift for Bunny. She decided to keep an eye out for anything that she could add to the gift.

Leaving the shop, she turned to Nightlight, explaining, "I still need to find your present. You want to meet up in about 30 minutes or so, by your car?"

Nightlight replied, "Yeah, that seems fine. Text me if you're done a bit earlier, it usually doesn't take me long with your present." He winked and patted Tooth's shoulder, twisting on his heel towards the opposite direction of the mall, twirling Jack's staff.

Tooth giggled and turned around, thinking of what she should get Nightlight. She walked into a couple of shops, perusing. As she began to get tired of looking, something caught her eye in a small trinket shop similar to Aurora's. It was a polished rock, that seemed to almost look like a rounded dagger. It was gleaming with light, reflecting every bit of the sun's rays. Tooth was mesmerized by the small object, picking it up and gazing at it. She asked the shopkeeper, a tall, smiling woman, how much for the object. She replied it would only cost 10 dollars, and Tooth happily accepted. It reminded her almost of an actual moonbeam, it was so bright! She couldn't help but think of Nightlight's bright face when she looked at it. After buying the gift, she exited the shop, looking for something to do with her remaining time.

Deciding to go buy some candy to accompany the presents, she turned quickly, accidentally bumping into someone and spilling her stuff all over the floor.

"Whoops! I'm sorry!" Tooth exclaimed, bending down to pick up her shopping bags.

"Tooth?" the voice said surprisedly. Tooth, shocked to hear the familiar voice, looked up to see who it was.

Jack Frost.

He quickly bent down to help her gather her things, trying not to look in case his present was in the bags. Jack helped Tooth up off the ground as she thanked him.

"_Um_... I thought you were supposed to be shopping with Nightlight?" Jack asked. A small, almost unrecognizable flash of pain flitted across his eyes, but Jack was sure Tooth hadn't seen it. Had she really lied just so she didn't have to go to the mall with _him?_

"Oh!" Tooth exclaimed, realizing what Jack meant. She quickly explained, the words tumbling out of her mouth, "No! No no no. I _was _shopping with Nightlight! We finished up shopping for the others, so we were looking for something for each other! We were supposed to meet up in.." she looked down at her watch, "10 minutes, by Nightlight's car."

Jack nodded, trying not to look relieved. Instead, he teased, "So, you got anything for me in there?"

Tooth pulled the bags away from him, even though his present wasn't in there. She scolded, "You don't get to see until Valentine's Day! Anyways, I was just going to buy some candy to put with my presents. Not that I'm putting _too _much, I don't want you guys to get cavities!" Jack laughed as Tooth began to walk off, keeping up pace with her.

"Do you mind if I join you?" he asked, walking beside her. Tooth looked down to see he had a similar shopping bag. She couldn't help but wonder what was inside.

"You can, if you want to." She replied calmly, walking into the nearest candy shop.

Inside, the walls were plastered with Valentine's Posters, and all of the stands were decorated in a sickly pink that Tooth just couldn't stand. She wasn't into the gushy heart feelings of Valentine's Day, she liked to just make it fun and get to joke around with her friends! Bunny had never tried anything too romantic with her, knowing that she wasn't one for something like that.

Tooth rummaged through the store, occasionally picking out chocolates or candies that she knew her friends liked. Jack watched her, smiling as she perused the labels, occasionally sticking out her tongue at ones that just sounded awful.

Finished up with what she thought was a good amount of candy, she took her purchases and walked out with Jack.

As they were walking, Tooth exclaimed, "Well, I've gotta go for now, Nightlight's probably waiting for me at his car. It was nice seeing you, Jack!" She hugged him lightly, surprising him. After a second of thought he hugged her back, then said goodbye, walking off with a confident air.

Tooth hid her bags safely away from Nightlight, hoping he hadn't seen the bright reflections of his present. She was silent driving home, thinking about what Valentine's Day would bring. It was only a couple of days away.

She said goodbye to Nightlight, heading upstairs and taking out some old wrapping paper and bags to cover her presents up. When she was finished, it was getting pretty late, so she tucked away her presents, sliding into bed and drifting into a deep, happy sleep.

* * *

**Kind of lame chapter ending, I know :c **

**Anyways, I love hearing all of your feedback on the chapters, and it always motivates me to see a review! Please tell me if you want to see more or less of something, I always like taking things into consideration!**

**As always, thank you guys so much for actually reading this, you're all amazing!**


	8. Valentine's Day

**..On Valentine's Day, technically.  
Anyways, hoping all of you the best, and I hope you like the new chapter!**

* * *

Tooth's alarm went buzzing off, startling her awake. Tooth sat up sleepily, reaching over to turn her alarm off and struggle out of bed. As Tooth peered down to see what time it was, she suddenly remembered what day it was. Valentine's Day! Finally!

Sleep left Tooth's eyes as she bounded around her room, getting ready. The week had passed by so quickly, Valentine's Day had come before she could even blink! Tooth took a shower and threw on a small top and a pair of nice jeans, walking over to the closet where she had hid her presents. She took them out excitedly, gathering them up in her arms and walking downstairs excitedly. Tooth placed them at the bottom of the stairs and trotted over to the kitchen.

Usually, Rashmi left for work early enough that Tooth had the house all to herself in the mornings. On Valentine's Day, however, Rashmi would stay behind and cook up Tooth a small breakfast for her daughter.

Tooth came in and wrapped her mother up in a hug, presenting Rashmi with a small, beautiful bouquet of flowers. She had gone to a florist's shop yesterday so that she could buy something for her mom. Rashmi smiled back and presented Tooth with a single red rose of her own, and a small case of chocolates. Tooth grinned and happily took the gifts, sitting down at their small kitchen table.

Rashmi finished cooking and presented Tooth with a small plate. It was her favorite, roti parathas! A Southeast Asian dish, it was similar to pancakes, but with a curry to dip in on the side. Rashmi's family was from Southeast Asia, and some of Tooth's physical appearance was reflected on that. Although Rashmi hardly ever had time for cooking, whenever she did it would be a delicious meal usually originating from Southeast Asia. Tooth thanked her mother gratefully, digging into the rare meal.

Tooth finished it up all too soon, then thanked her mother again, hugging her tightly. As she was getting her things ready to leave, there was a knock at the door. Tooth walked over to the front, opening the door wide.

Bunny was outside, looking a bit nervous but smiling all the same. When he saw Tooth, his eyes brightened and he leaned down, procuring a bouquet of multicolored flowers from behind his back. He grinned and stated, "Flowers for the beautiful lady," as he handed them to Tooth. She giggled and took them, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply. They smelled amazing! Tooth opened her eyes and hugged Bunny happily, and he hugged her back immediately.

Rashmi rounded the corner, seeing Bunny and Tooth embracing. "Oh, isn't that sweet," she murmured almost to herself as she saw Tooth holding flowers. She added, a bit louder, "Bunny, would you like some breakfast? I just made some roti parathas for Tooth."

Bunny turned to Rashmi, lightly blushing as he answered, "N-no thank you, ma'am, I had some breakfast and was just about to take Tooth to school."

Rashmi nodded, turning the corner after saying one last goodbye to her daughter. Tooth gathered up her presents and walked out the door with Bunny. He helped her put the presents in the back of his car, where his were already hiding. Bunny closed the car door before Tooth could peek at his presents, laughing when she audibly grumbled. They climbed into the car and drove to school, happily chatting the entire time.

* * *

At lunch the day before, Tooth had told Jack and Pitch about their normal Valentine's Day routine. Instead of meeting at the lunch table, they would go outside to the parking lot and wait for everyone to arrive. The presents were supposed to be kept in your car, and the small group would walk around the lot to each of the groups cars, receiving their present in turn. As lunch came rolling around that day, Tooth walked out to the front of the school. There was a cold breeze, but standing in the patches of sunlight kept Tooth warm. Soon, Nightlight and Katherine showed up, then Bunny, Pitch, and Jack. They were all excited, wondering what was in store.

"Who should we start with?" Tooth asked, looking around at the group. Most of them went silent, wondering who wanted to go first.

"I can do it, my presents aren't the best anyways." Pitch raised his voice, looking a bit embarrassed.

Tooth replied, "Okay, that's settled! Show us to your car, Pitch!"

Pitch walked them over to his sleek black car, popping open the trunk to reveal some wrapped presents inside. He passed out each of them, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Nightlight opened his up to find chocolates, which he happily bit into. Katherine was given some old books Pitch had found that he thought would interest her, and she squealed with delight. Bunny got a small inexpensive watch, which he strapped on and set after thanking Pitch, and Jack was given some candies and a small amount of money. Pitch's present to Tooth was something she wasn't really expecting. It was a beautiful silver bracelet, and in the little silver chips were small, barely noticeable teeth inscriptions. Tooth glanced at it in awe, hoping he hadn't spent a ton of money on it! It was so pretty, and she put it on immediately, still staring at the teeth. She happily hugged Pitch, and he awkwardly patted her on the back.

"I'm next!" Nightlight exclaimed, rubbing the chocolate off of his mouth. He grabbed Katherine's hand and sprinted across the parking lot, the rest of the group trying to keep in tow. As Tooth walked behind with Bunny, she glanced over to the front of the school, and couldn't help but smile excitedly as she saw a young man pull out a ticket to a girl who began to bounce excitedly. Tooth tried to think of anything coming up that would need a ticket, but she couldn't place a source. Bunny unexpectedly looped a hand around Tooth's waist and pulled her closer, dragging her out of her thoughts as she giggled and tried to fit her small arm around his sturdy waist as well.

As they made their way towards Nightlight's car, he was pulling open the trunk and almost jumping from excitement. He grabbed his presents up and closed the trunk door quickly, before Jack could make it over. When they were all standing around the car, he passed out the black jacket and soccer jersey to Pitch and Bunny, who both excitedly took it, loving the gifts.

Nightlight handed Tooth a small wrapped gift, which she tore off excitedly. Inside, there was a case, and Tooth gasped when she brought it out. Inside the case were a few well preserved, sharp animal teeth. Tooth almost yelled with joy as she read below each tooth what animal it came from. As always, Nightlight had given Tooth a perfect gift! She wrapped him up in a warm embrace, hardly taking her eyes off of the marvelous gift. "I'm glad you like it!" He exclaimed joyously as she giggled with glee.

"Of course! You always get the best gifts, and look at how well preserved these are!" Tooth replied, beaming.

Nightlight chuckled, then quickly went to grab Jack's gift, asking him to close his eyes. When he presented Jack the staff, his eyes got big and he grabbed it up, looking at the wiry but sturdy wood frame. "This is amazing, Nightlight!" he commented, holding the staff firmly in his hands. He twirled it around for good measure, grabbing the shepherd's crook at the end like a cane.

Finally, Nightlight brought out Katherine's present. When she opened it, her eyes filled with complete joy as she saw the beautiful notebook, smelling the crisp new pages that were itching to be filled with words. She had no words for the amazing gift, but instead pecked Nightlight on his cheek, causing him to blush furiously. He bent down and whispered something in her ear, inaudible to the rest of them, but Katherine looked up and nodded. Tooth grinned over at Nightlight, her eyes shining with happiness for him.

"My presents are in the front," Katherine added after a moment, still staring at the notebook. Knowing Katherine, most of the presents would be books or something to do with a new hobby of hers. The group actually loved all of the books Katherine would give out, as they usually fit exactly what they liked.

Katherine handed a book of famous soccer players and matches to Bunny, who excitedly thanked her as he flipped through it.

For Pitch, Katherine pulled out a small jar, but Tooth couldn't tell what the substance was inside. As Pitch looked down to the small vial, his eyes opened wide and he thanked her profusely, grabbing it to peer inside.

"Where is it from?" he asked, gazing at the golden substance inside.

"A beach a few hours away from here, they were selling it at the mall." she replied happily.

Tooth took her hand off of Bunnymund's waist to see what the present was. As she got closer, she inquired, "Is that... sand?"

Pitch answered, "Oh, um.. yes, it is. I've collected it ever since I was little, since I travel often. I'm curious as to how you remembered, though?" he turned to Katherine, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Katherine huffed, explaining, "I'm not the only one who's observant, you know! I heard you talking about it at lunch one day, and I'm always looking for new hobbies, so it kind of just stayed in my mind." she grinned, turning back to her presents.

Next, she handed Jack a small frame, where two glasses were stuck together, and inside was a single snowflake, captured forever. It was tiny, but beautifully caught, and Jack hugged Katherine gratefully.

Next, she handed Tooth a small stack of books. Tooth's jaw dropped as she looked through the covers, reading them off. "Dentist's guide to teeth, world of teeth, tropical canines, oh my goodness Katherine this is amazing! Where did you find all of these?" She said, wrapping her friend in a tight embrace.

"I got them from the library, before you could get your hands on them!" Katherine giggled, hugging Tooth back. As Katherine pulled away, she wheeled around to fish out her last present, something wrapped, that she presented to Nightlight.

He took it up from her, curiosity blazing in his eyes as he ripped open the package. Inside was a small canvas, and painted on it was Nightlight, in almost exact detail. His beaming smile looked exactly like he was there to light up the room. He stared down at the amazing painting, speechless. Katherine piped up after a little while, "I took on painting again, to try and see if I could brush up, since it didn't go so well the first time, so I hope you like i-"

Before Katherine could finish her sentence, Nightlight crushed her in a tight hug, picking her up off the ground. He exclaimed, "Katherine, this is amazing! You're really talented!"

Katherine laughed, swiftly replying, "I'm glad you like it!" While the rest of the group chuckled happily.

"Okay, off to my car!" Jack said, leading the others across the parking lot excitedly.

"Nightlight!" she called behind her, trying to get the boy's attention. As he heard his name being called, he left Katherine and jogged up next to Tooth.

"You called?" He asked, looking down at her. Tooth motioned for Nightlight to lean in, and he did as she told.

"What did you whisper to Katherine?" Tooth murmured excitedly.

Nightlight blushed again in spite of himself before replying, "I told her I needed to ask her something later."

Tooth's eyes widened as she tried to contain her excitement. She questioned, "What are you going to tell her?"

Nightlight grinned sheepishly and explained, "The dance."

Tooth's eyes became confused, trying to remember. Was there a dance coming up? Then she remembered the boy and girl she had seen earlier in the parking lot. So there was a dance! Tooth pushed it to the back of her mind as she smiled at Nightlight, hoping that everything went well for him.

"Come on, slowpokes, or you won't get your gifts!" Jack called from his car. When they had surrounded the car he eagerly began to take out his presents. "Now remember," he warned, "I'm terrible with gifts, and I didn't have anyone to help me." He winked at Tooth playfully, but she couldn't help but feel a little bad about school the other day.

He gave candies to Katherine and Nightlight, and some new shoes to Pitch, who had been talking about entering track in the spring. Tooth was already signing up, and Jack had been thinking about it as well.

To Bunny, Jack gave a stuffed kangaroo. Before Bunny could get mad, he threw in some candy, to lighten up the joke. Tooth couldn't help but giggle at the look on Bunny's face when Jack had presented the stuffed animal as if it were the best gift in the world.

For Tooth, he pulled out a brilliantly red rose, handing it to her. She chuckled as Jack smiled playfully, bringing out a small box as well. Tooth opened it up, wondering what could be inside. As she began to tear off the paper, bright colors immediately met her eyes. Tooth ripped the rest of the paper off, anxious to see what was inside. Inside was another case resembling the one used to hold the teeth Nightlight had given her. Instead of teeth, however, there was something else.

Feathers!

Multiple feathers, all from birds, all superbly colorful and bright in their own unique ways. Some had weird stripes, some blended into multiple colors, but each were dazzling and unique to their own bird. Tooth nearly yelled with joy, "Jack! This is incredible! Look at all the colors, there must be a ton of different species right here!" Tooth jumped up and down, Jack laughing loudly at her excitement.

Tooth grabbed Jack up in a large hug, squeezing tightly. Jack, a bit lost in the moment, wrapped his hands around Tooth's waist, pulling her small frame in as well. For a fraction of a second, they were so close, Jack breathing in her light perfume as she thanked him profusely, he was smiling like an idiot, unable to help himself.

Too soon, Tooth pulled away, still giggling over the amazing present. She didn't catch Bunny's cold stare at Jack, trying to calm himself down. Seeing Tooth that close to Jack made him annoyed, if not for any reason. He couldn't help but think about the rose, something most people didn't normally gift to others. He tried to brush it off as Tooth shouldered back over to him, holding her presents with a smile plastered on her face. He managed a gruff smile back as he stated, "Guess it's our turn now, eh Tooth?"

Tooth laughed excitedly, grabbing Bunny's hand and running off in the direction of his car. "You can go first." Tooth told Bunny as they reached the car. He grinned, pulling out his supplies.

To Nightlight, he gave him a small, furry jacket. "Seems like it could fit ya, mate, even though spring's just around the corner." Bunny commented as he gave Nightlight the jacket. For Katherine, he handed her a set of pencils, stubs, and erasers. He had heard from Tooth that she was getting into drawing once again. For Pitch, he gave some candies and a music gift card for the old shop downtown, one of Pitch's favorite places to go. He gave Jack some tennis shoes, smirking. The group knew of Jack's habit for hating shoes. He took them off whenever he could find a chance to, and never seemed to be really comfortable in them.

Tooth waited on her gift patiently. As Bunny was about to pull it out, he looked around, hesitating. Quickly, he stated, "Ya know what, Tooth, I'll save your present for later." He winked mischievously, and Tooth couldn't help but frown, she had waited so long to find out what Bunny's present was!

"Fine!" she retorted, quickly thinking, "If I can't have my present now, neither can you." She laughed at his surprised face before bringing out her own presents. Nightlight couldn't take his eyes off of Tooth's gift, looking down at the beautiful reflective surface. Katherine loved the set of pens, commenting, "Oh, I've read about this! It looks so amazing when you know how to write it out well, super pretty!"

Pitch smiled at the small charm Tooth had given him, caressing the rugged black surface of the material in the crescent moon. Jack happily took up his present, looking in awe at all of the magnificent designs that were placed on the book's pages.

After they were finished, they walked back in to have a quick lunch before heading off to class. Jack and Tooth enjoyed their time in North's class as he swung his globe around the room, talking of lifestyles in places far away from where they were.

Art passed by quickly as well, and before Tooth knew it, she was out of school and getting into Bunny's car.

"So, when do I get my present?" she asked as they sped down the road towards Tooth's house.

"Soon enough." He answered, grinning. Bunny knew how much it was eating Tooth up inside to know what he had bought her. As they pulled into the driveway of Tooth's house, she stepped out of the car, waiting for the moment Bunny would give her the gift. As Tooth walked around the side of the car, Bunny got out, holding a present behind his back. Tooth beamed, glad that the moment had finally come.

"You go first." He stated. Tooth sighed, exasperated. She quickly shoved her present into Bunny's free hand, and he was surprised as smooth wood touched his fingers. He glanced down at the boomerangs, laughing joyously when he saw them. He used to play with these all the time as a kid! He thanked Tooth, wanting to wrap her up in a hug, but his present was still behind his back.

"Okay, now my turn!" Tooth exclaimed, bouncing up and down. Bunny fished behind his back, and with one hand pulled out a box of chocolates, in the shape of a heart. Tooth grabbed them up, smiling happily.

With his other hand, Bunny brought out a small box. Tooth kept her eyes on it, wondering what could be inside. As Bunny handed it to her, she opened it carefully.

Inside was a beautiful silver necklace, the chain thin but sturdy. At the end was a small charm, a single silver tooth, much larger than a normal one. Tooth gasped as she took it out of the box, eyes centered on the expensive gift. Bunny helped her put it on and she stared down at it, jaw dropping. Bunny wrapped his hands around Tooth's waist, and she gratefully accepted his hug. He kissed her forehead lightly before pulling away.

"One more thing." Bunny added, Tooth looking incredulously at him. What else could he give her? He must have spent a bunch on the necklace already!

Fishing in his jacket pocket, Bunny presented Tooth with something she wasn't expecting. Bunny was grasping a small ticket in his hands, and he asked a bit nervously, "Tooth, would you like to go to the dance with me?"

Tooth stared into Bunny's eyes, which were mixed with irrational worry in that small moment. She took the ticket out of his hand, eyes shining, and replied, "Yes, Bun. Of course."

She embraced Bunny one more time, burrowing her head in his shoulder. With one last goodbye, Tooth walked inside, feeling giddy about the upcoming dance.

* * *

**So yeah, a little cheesy, but it was fun writing all the same! **

**Please leave a review, I'd love to know what you thought of the chapter and anything that could help! Constructive criticism is welcome and it really motivates me to see new reviews!**


	9. Dance Your Heart Out

**I promise I was planning to have this out yesterday!**

**It's just... writer's block, how you do like to smack me with a hammer every now and then.**

**Anyways, interestingly enough, I tried to do Jack's P.O.V. on part of this chapter! I knew I was going to have to get around to it sometime... hopefully I didn't do too terribly at it !**

**Enjoy, hope you guys had a Happy Easter and that an Australian rabbit left you some goodies! **

* * *

The dance had come sooner than Tooth had expected. She had been shopping the next weekend for a nice dress with Katherine, and had picked out one that matched her style perfectly. It was a beautifully multicolored dress, which seemed to shimmer and change whenever she moved. It would blend in and out of green and blue, and the bottom was decked in small, soft feathers. Her shoes were similar to ballet flats, because she always felt like she was a moment away from falling when she wore high heels. It felt awkward to be so tall, too, when she loved her small height. She was going to wear Bunny's necklace, hoping it went well with her outfit.

As Tooth pulled her hair up into a loose bun, she contemplated what the weekend would be like after the dance. Bunny was going to be away for the tournament, so Tooth would either stay at home or hang out with Jack and the others. She spent almost every weekend with Bunny, so Tooth couldn't help but wonder if it would be weird without him. She lifted her bangs up, using a small clip in the shape of a tooth to stick it on the side of her head. Tooth smiled to herself as she thought about the dance. Nightlight had asked Katherine, and she had said yes! Pitch said he might come, and Jack was definitely coming, but he hadn't found a date in time. Apparently Bunny had been keeping the tickets for a while, and most of the dates were already taken. Dances and school events usually just passed right by her, since she wasn't very used to going to any of them. She couldn't help but feel excited, and making sure she had her jewelry on, Tooth went into the bathroom to put a little bit of makeup on, humming all the while.

* * *

Jack smiled at himself in the mirror, fixing the bow tie he was wearing. He felt stupid in this ridiculous getup. Why did they have to dress so formally for a high school dance? His suit felt too big on him, and his feet were getting pinched in the shoes his dad had bought for him.

And on top of that, he hadn't found a date. Not that he had looked for one, really. Most of the girls in Burgess were either stuck up and constantly fishing for compliments, or too shy to even go to some kind of dance. Jack knew he could easily grab a girl, he wasn't the worst looking guy. Honestly, he hadn't even tried for a date, and Jack just hoped he could have fun with his friends. He still hung out with Jamie and the freshmen, but Tooth and the others in their small group were who he really enjoyed being with. It made his smile come back just joking and teasing with Tooth, watching her large violet eyes dart around the room, full of excitement. But Jack also knew the other side of Tooth as well, the gentle caring person who had gone through something traumatic. Multiple times Jack had thought of telling Tooth his own secret, but he always fought himself out of it. It wasn't fair to burden her with something that had happened a while ago.

He didn't want to change her opinion of him.

Stepping back from the mirror, Jack turned around, his navy blue suit wrinkling as he stretched. Would Tooth dance with him? She might want to, if Bunnymund would allow it. Jack shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He knew he shouldn't think about that, Tooth was dating Bunny. Still, he couldn't help smiling whenever he thought of Tooth and her vibrant personality. When he had first come to Burgess, he hadn't planned on opening up so quickly to anyone, let alone to a small girl with a teeth obsession.

It was just that Tooth was so... easy to open up to. She brought out the best in everyone, and tried to not see the worst in people, even if it was written plainly in front of her. Jack wondered what Tooth saw in Bunnymund. A hot tempered Australian who couldn't take a joke? No, he wasn't going to be like that, he wasn't going to judge Bunny. And he _couldn't _crush on Tooth.

And yet.. she really was nice.

Jack knew he had liked her since they had met. Maybe not in a crush kind of way, but something about Tooth he was really fond of. At first, Jack had even seen her as a bit prying, but when he realized she was just asking about him out of curiosity and not trying to get every little answer about where the new kid was from, why had he moved, et cetera, Jack found it was just her caring personality. He knew Tooth didn't see him as anything more than a friend that entire time, how could she when she had Bunny? But Jack had to admit...

He really did like her.

Jack tried to clear his thoughts as he walked downstairs. He scratched his head a few times, looking around as the clock ticked closer to the starting of the dance. Should he even go? No point not going if he was already dressed up. Jack walked into his dad's study, poking his head in.

"Hey, I'm about to leave." He called as his father looked up, placing down the half moon reading glasses he wore.

"Ah, yes! The dance!" His dad replied cheerily, "You going to ask the Tooth girl?"

Jack blushed and mumbled under his breath, "Not helping, dad.." before answering, "Uh, maybe! I should be out for only a couple of hours."

"Enjoy yourself! Say hello to Tooth for me, and remember to have fun!" Mr. Moon grinned brightly, and Jack halfheartedly smiled back before walking out of his dad's office and to his car. He turned on some music and hummed along, trying to distract himself as he pulled out of the garage and made his way towards the high school.

* * *

Tooth watched the clock tick by as she walked around the house, not having much to do. She kept picking up and putting down her small purse, and dancing about as she waited on Bunny. He was supposed to be here any minute now, and Tooth was bouncing with excitement! Usually dances were pretty boring, but this one was a bit more formal, and Jack was going to be there! He always had a way of causing fun, either with pranks or jokes.

Tooth giggled to herself, then there was a knocking at the door. Bunny! She grabbed up her purse from the counter again and raced to her mom, planting a kiss on her cheek before running back up to the front and opening the door. Outside was Bunny, looking a bit awkward in a grey suit, and holding out box with a corsage inside. He grinned, placing the corsage on Tooth's dress before escorting her to his car. As Tooth stepped into the passenger's side, Bunny hopped in as well and commented, "You look great, Tooth."

Blushing, she replied, "You look handsome as well! Besides the fact that you look hardly comfortable in that suit." She giggled.

"Eh, it's not so bad," he replied, "Still, I'd rather be in regular clothing, if they'd ever allow it. Maybe I can wear something as colorful as yours." he teased, and Tooth couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Bunny decked out in a colorful suit.

As they pulled up to the school, Bunny opened Tooth's door for her. The school actually looked nice, with little lights strung on the outside and pleasant music flowing out from inside. It was strange being at the school this late at night, but still kind of pleasant. Tooth took Bunny's hand as she lifted herself out of the car, grinning. As she walked with Bunny towards the front of the school, a car pulled up next to theirs. After a few minutes of readjusting his suit, Jack hopped out of the car and made his way towards Tooth and Bunny. Wow, Tooth looked.. _really _good. Her dress shimmered and changed in color as she walked with Bunny, the bright highlights in her hair matching the colors perfectly.

"Hey guys, wait up!" Jack called as he trotted toward them. Tooth turned and beamed when she saw Jack, dressed up in a navy blue suit and white bowtie. She had to admit, he didn't look bad in a suit. He smiled back, running a hand through his hair before continuing, "Nice dress, Tooth! And you don't look so bad yourself, Cottontail." He laughed as Bunny playfully swiped a punch at him. The three of them walked into the gym, giving their tickets to Mr. Sandy, who was in charge of collecting them, as well as coat check. He smiled happily and waved at Jack in Tooth. They said hello in return before stepping into the auditorium, where the dance was being held.

The auditorium had been nicely cleaned up, with small tables set at the edge of the room and, at the corner of the room, a table filled with snacks and water bottles. There was a large dance floor placed in the middle of the auditorium, and a stage at the front of the room where usually speeches and assemblies took place during the normal school day. A music station had been set up there, along with some lights that were dancing off the walls with color, some of them with little designs as well. Tooth stared openly at the giant change from the normal, everyday boringness of the auditorium.

The three of them decided to go find a seat somewhere, and placed their stuff down at a nearby table. A small throng of students was gathering near the dance floor, unsure if they should start. A senior that Tooth didn't know, but had long blonde hair and was wearing a frilly pink and purple dress, stepped onto the stage and spoke up, "You guys join in dancing whenever you want to, if you have a request then just come up and ask the guy back here." she thrusted her thumb towards the small station, and she could barely see a man running forward and backward through the cords, making sure everything was going all right.

After a few minutes, boys hesitantly started asking girls to dance, and the auditorium filled up as more people came filing in. Bunny stood up from his seat, placing a hand down to Tooth's before asking, "Would ya like to dance, m-maybe?"

Tooth giggled at his slight stutter at the end, knowing inside Bun was just as nervous as a rabbit! "Sure, Bun!" She replied, lifting herself up out of her chair and accompanying him onto the dance floor.

Bunny didn't really know how to dance, but he sure did try. Tooth's mom had made her spend a dreaded summer in dance and ballet classes when she was younger, hoping that Tooth would like it, but when school started back Tooth threw a tantrum at the prospect of continuing, so Rashmi had let her out of it. Still, she had been able to learn some from the short class, and she moved with subtle grace while Bunny tried his best to keep up. He only stomped on her feet a couple of times, and Tooth would giggle when he blurted out his apologies afterwards.

Meanwhile, Jack was sitting at the table, feet propped up and sipping from a water bottle. This _had _been a bad idea. Almost all of the girls were dancing with their dates, and there was no chance of Jack asking one of them. He even saw Nightlight and Katherine, dancing happily together in the throng of people. As he watched everyone on the dance floor, his eyes always fell back on Tooth, who was dancing gracefully as Bunny clumsily followed. As Jack thought about getting up, someone fell into a seat beside him, sighing. He turned to see Pitch, his hair smoothed back and wearing a completely black suit.

"Well I was hoping this was going to be fun, but it seems there aren't any girls to ask." He stated, bored, watching dancing couples go by with Jack. He kept talking, "Need to ask _someone _sooner or later.. Damn, is that Tooth?" He looked up, a bit surprised, to see Tooth calmly dancing away with Bunny.

"Yep," Jack replied quietly. He didn't like the way Pitch gawked at Tooth, like she was some type of toy that he wanted to buy. Pitch was usually the shy guy; why was he acting like this all of a sudden?

Pitch commented, "She looks wonderful. I might even ask her to dance, if Bunny'll get out of the way-"

"No." Jack replied coldly, eyes blazing as he sat up in his chair. After seeing Pitch's surprised and suspicious expression, he added, "I mean, let Tooth and Bunny have a few more dances. It is their night, after all."

Pitch nodded, answering, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm gonna go see if the drinks are still regular or have been spiked yet." He chuckled to himself, getting up and roaming across the room. Jack eyed him suspiciously as he left. Listening to the music, Jack waited for the end of the song to come. He decided it was now or never, and he was going to ask Tooth to dance.

* * *

Tooth swayed gently with Bunny, rotating in small circles instead of anything elegant. Bunny smiled down at her, a hand on Tooth's waist. The song was nearing its end, and Tooth couldn't help but notice the couples around her. Many were clumsily dancing with their dates, and a lot were just standing there, kissing.

Tooth had never been kissed before.

Yeah, she was going out with Bunny, and yeah, he would occasionally give her a peck on the cheek or forehead, but Tooth had never had a real, genuine kiss. And she was happy with that! It wasn't as if Bunny hadn't tried before, but Tooth was never really ready to kiss him. She didn't know why, but any opportunity just didn't feel right. She wanted to remember her first kiss, for it to be special, and it just hadn't happened yet.

Shrugging it off, Tooth grinned back at Bunny, her violet eyes shimmering. As the song began to end, a sudden change came over Bunny. He tightened his grip on her waist, pulling her closer. Tooth giggled, staring down at his hand, before looking back up and trying not to gasp. Bunny was beginning to slowly incline his head toward hers, a bit nervous. Tooth's thoughts ran through her head quickly, questions washing her brain. Was this really going to be the place? Was she ready?

No. She wasn't.

As Bunny leaned in closer, Tooth leaned up and pecked him on his nose. He opened his eyes widely, realizing she hadn't kissed him. He could have been sure Tooth was finally going to kiss him, but he had been wrong again. Cheeks red with embarrassment, he tried to find a way to get out of his predicament.

"Mind if I take the kind lady?" A mischievous voice called out. Tooth and Bunny looked up simultaneously to see Jack, extending his hand towards Tooth. He added, "Or was I interrupting something?"

"Oh, uh.." Bunny stammered for a reply, still holding Tooth closely by the waist, "Yeah, fine with me, if that's alright, Tooth?" He looked down, relieved that Jack had showed up.

"Of course!" Tooth giggled, sliding out of Bunny's grasp and putting her hand into Jack's extended one. Bunny coughed a couple times, turning to go back to the table. Through his embarrassment and relief, he could hardly hear the slow dance that had started playing.

"_Oh!_" Tooth gasped as the song began to play. A slow dance? She wondered if Bunny would be okay with it..

Jack blushed as he heard the music, stating, "Tooth, we can wait for another one to come on if you wa-"

Tooth giggled, sliding her hand onto his shoulder before replying, "Nah, I think it'll be okay, it's just one song."

Jack nervously put a hand on Tooth's waist as they began to spin around. Tooth was surprised be how elegant Jack was! Unlike Bunny, he slid right into the rhythm of the music, keeping up with Tooth's every step. They slowly danced, Tooth's dress shimmering in different colors. Jack nearly froze up when Tooth placed her head on his chest, sighing.

Tooth felt Jack's short intake of breath, and looked up to see him looking a bit startled. She began to lift her head up, explaining, "Sorry, I'm just a bit tired from dancing with Bunny.."

Jack quickly blurted out, "No, no, it's fine! You can stay, I was just a little confused is all." Tooth smiled, placing her head back onto his chest and closing her eyes. Jack was glad Tooth couldn't see him, because he was grinning like an idiot. He watched her step in small circles, graceful even with her eyes closed. He was blatantly aware of his hand touching her waist, wrapping around it securely. Yeah.. he could protect her.

Tooth hoped she wasn't being awkward with Jack. He didn't seem like he minded her at all, and she _was _pretty tired. They might have to leave soon, it was getting pretty late. For now, she was just enjoying being with Jack, smelling his minty cologne and having her hands propped on his shoulders. It was really nice.

The music ended all too soon, and Tooth pulled herself away from Jack's chest, smiling. Her eyes looked a little heavy, even though she pretended she wasn't tired. She giggled, "Well, that was fun."

Jack smiled, eyes softening as he looked down at Tooth's giggling face. He replied, "Yeah, it was. You okay, Tooth? You look a bit sleepy."

Tooth tried not to yawn as she answered, "Yeah, I'm fine! I think I'm gonna get Bun to take me home soon, this face needs its beauty sleep!" she laughed with Jack as he escorted her back to the table, hand still on her waist.

As they neared the table, Pitch and Bunny looked up from relaxing in their seats. Pitch began to rise out of his chair when Tooth walked over with Jack, breaking away from him to say, "Hey Bun, you about ready to go home? I'm getting a bit tired. Oh, hey Pitch! Nice suit!"

Pitch, who had been about to say something, quickly clammed up and pretended to be going to get some more drinks. He stuttered, "H-hey Tooth, y-you look nice." before quickly walking off.

Jack snickered to himself, watching Pitch's shy confusion fade into a mask of anger as he stalked off. Turning back around, he saw Bunny give a giant stretch before getting up out of his own chair.

"Sure Tooth, it's beginning to die down anyways. See you later, Frost!" He picked up Tooth's purse and they headed out the main doors. Waiting a few minutes, Jack bent down and picked up his stuff, deciding to leave as well. He didn't need to stick around now, anyways.

The car ride home was pretty silent as Tooth lay back in her seat, eyelids drooping as she watched the stars. Bunny was still pretty embarrassed from earlier, and was tired as well. Tooth could only hope Bun understood why she hadn't kissed him. Her mind was still racing as Bunny pulled up to her house. She turned to him, smiling before stating, "I had fun tonight, Bun."

Bunny smiled back at Tooth, replying, "Me too, Tooth. Sorry about the... dancing."

Tooth, knowing what Bunny had been about to say, placed a hand on his before explaining, "It's all right, Bun. Thanks for understanding." Tooth smiled before remembering, "So, this the last time I see you before the tournament?"

He smiled at her forgiveness, answering, "We've got a pretty long drive, so yeah, I won't see you for the rest of the weekend. Miss me?" He teased.

"Yep! Can't wait for you to get back, I already miss ya." She leaned over, hugging Bunny tightly before saying goodbye and stepping out of the car, running into the house and away from the cold wind.

When Tooth made it up to her bedroom, she quietly slipped into pajamas and cleaned her face before falling into bed, exhausted. As she began falling asleep, she dreamed of Bunny and Jack, both smiling and laughing happily.

* * *

**And so, emotions begin! Gasp! **

**Also, as a side note, I was going to have Pitch display some more personality stuff, but I got sidetracked...**

**I just want to thank all of you for following my story ;u; cookies to you all! **

**Please leave a review, they always help me consider what I should write about, and I love reading them ^-^ Hope you enjoyed it!**


	10. A Peculiar Saturday

**Sorry for the wait you guys!**

**Thank you for being so patient, I had some troubles writing this chapter out and my week has been extraordinarily busy..**

**Anywho, I bet some of you will enjoy this chapter! It's nice and long uwu**

* * *

Tooth woke up suddenly, eyes shooting open and chest quickly rising and falling. Her hair was wild and messy, and she looked around the room, confused. Realizing where she was, she slid back down into the covers, putting her hands over her face. She had just woken from a terrible nightmare, and couldn't get the images out of her head. White eyes and snarling, gruesome teeth greeted her whenever she closed her eyes, so Tooth shook her head fiercely before pulling off her covers. She slid her legs out, sitting on the edge of the bed as she picked up her phone from the desk beside her.

She rubbed her eyes as the bright screen flashed on. Tooth leaned in closer to see what time it was, and the phone informed her it was 9:30 A.M. She groaned, putting the device back down before stumbling into the bathroom to take a shower. She tried to shake the fear from her nightmare out as she freshened up. It was a really blurry nightmare, like usual, but she had been trapped in a black room where white eyes were staring at her, and whenever a hand she thought she noticed reached out to help her, it would pull away before she could grab it.

No, Tooth, she scolded herself. Don't think about it! Instead, she let her mind wander to the night before, dancing clumsily with Bunny. Gosh, she was still embarrassed about Bunny trying to kiss her! Tooth couldn't help but feel bad, even though Bunny had assured her it was okay. He had been rather funny to watch dancing, though. She had also danced with _Jack! _Tooth would have been way more excited if Bunny hadn't tired her out earlier. She still couldn't believe he had asked her, it was so sweet of him! Tooth smiled to herself as she finished cleaning up. She had probably bored him to death, she had hardly talked to him the entire time. Jack hadn't seemed too upset, though, or if he was, he was good at hiding it. Tooth placed a comb down from brushing her hair, walking back into her bedroom and stretching her arms.

Suddenly, her phone lit up, and a small chime lifted up from it. Tooth walked over, casually scooping it up to see who it was. Unknown number? Tooth wondered if she should respond to it, then decided to, pressing the answer button and lifting the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" She spoke into the phone.

"Oh! Yes, hello! Tooth!" A voice nearly shouted from the other end.

Tooth giggled before replying, "Pitch?"

"Yea, sorry for waking you so early, you know what, never mind, just go back to sleep -"

"No, it's okay! I woke up a little bit ago." Tooth smiled, "You need me for something?"

The phone was silent for a moment before Pitch stuttered, "Well, you know, I was thinking, maybe, if you were up for it... Since it's the weekend... We could maybe go do something? See a movie, perhaps?"

Tooth rolled the idea around in her head. A movie, with Pitch? Yeah, that could work! She happily replied, "Yeah, that's fine! Let me just call Jack real quick and see if he wants to come! I'll call you back in a moment!"

Tooth hung up, not hearing Pitch's stuttering on the other end. "Damn it, damn it, damn it." He mumbled angrily as he lost connection.

Tooth stepped back and forth on her feet, giggling as she searched for Jack's contact on her phone. He had given it to her a while ago, for one of their study sessions. Finding it, she clicked the call button and once again put the phone to her ear, smiling.

"Wuh- hello? Tooth?" A sleepy voice answered almost immediately.

"Hi Jack!" Tooth responded excitedly, "Oh! Were you asleep? Sorry!"

Jack took a moment to respond, yawning widely before answering, "Nah, it's all right. What's up?"

Tooth eagerly explained, "Well, Pitch had the idea that maybe we could go see a movie together! You too busy to come today, or what?"

Jack processed the information silently. Pitch had asked Tooth _and _him? Unlikely, but sometimes she didn't really notice when guys were doing something nice for her. He sighed, thinking it through in his head. He did have free time, and he really didn't want Tooth spending all day with Pitch, especially after what he had seen at the dance. He answered, "Yeah, sure I'll come. You need me to pick you up?"

Tooth thought about it before stating, "I can probably get a ride from Pitch, and text you where to meet us. It'll probably be later today, and I think he's picking the movie. That okay?"

Jack replied, "Mmhmm, sounds good to me. See ya, Tooth."

"See you later, Jack!" Tooth hung up, then leaned back onto her bed as she texted Pitch:

_Jack said he can come. Text me the movie time, and I'll send it to him. Can you give me a ride?_

She waited a few minutes before Pitch texted back, replying:

_The movie is at 5 tonight. I can give you a ride, but I'll come about 4:45 since it takes a while to get there._

Tooth excitedly filled texted Jack, filling him in on the information. She registered Pitch's contact into her phone, just in case she needed it again. She lifted herself up and carried her phone downstairs to sift through some possible food options. Once Tooth had picked a nice apple out, she walked over to the television and turned it on, crunching on her snack as she flipped through the channels.

* * *

Pitch paced around his room, thinking out his plans. Tooth and Jack, that was manageable. His "shy guy" routine drifted away as he picked up a vial of sand, tossing it in his hand with a bit of a grimace on his face. Had she really invited _Jack? _Only to not make it awkward, Pitch assumed. Was he so awkward Tooth couldn't hang around him for a couple of hours? He snarled, throwing the vial of sand on his boring gray bedsheets. If it weren't for those idiotic bullies the day he had met Tooth. He had been planning on fighting the two of them, but a third had snuck up behind Pitch and thrown him into the trashcan. He had made a complete blubbering fool of himself in front of Tooth, not like his normal smooth self. Now whenever he saw her he couldn't help but think of that day and get a bit tripped up. He _was _a nice guy, he just couldn't show it to her.

Had he been planning to make it up tonight? Pitch didn't really know for sure. He was going to try and be calm and smooth, to have fun with Tooth, and show her that he wasn't just some person who couldn't even force a few words out.

But then, of course, Jack _had _to come along. He was a funny guy, but nothing more than that. Pitch wondered if he was even capable of having deep emotions. He smirked, picking the vial of sand back up to place it next to multiple others, staring at the fine sand that differentiated between places. Near the middle of all the different sands he had placed Tooth's present for him. The rugged, black surface of the moon was beautiful in its own way, and he couldn't help but smile at it.

No matter if Tooth was oblivious to his true self. She was still so kind to him.

* * *

Jack rubbed his eyes blearily, groaning as he turned in bed. Didn't they know what time it was? People usually slept in on weekends! He tried closing his eyes, but when sleep didn't meet him, Jack arose out of bed grumpily, stumbling downstairs in his boxers. He shifted through the cereal cabinet and pulled out one that didn't look too bad, grabbing some milk and pouring it in. As he crunched on cereal, the clock struck noon.

Jack knew he should have gone to bed earlier, he had just been caught up thinking about the dance all last night. When he had come home, his dad had been getting a late night snack, and asked him how it went.

"Good, it was good," Jack replied tiredly.

"You dance with the Tooth girl?" Mr. Moon asked teasingly.

"Yeah, actually, I did," Jack smiled sheepishly, and after a raised eyebrow from his dad, he continued, "She was dancing with Bunnymund, but I asked her near the end and a slow dance accidentally came on." Jack couldn't help but blush, remembering how happy he had been only about an hour before.

Mr. Moon burst out in a goodnatured laugh, walking over to Jack and clapping him on the shoulder. "That's m'boy! Go get her, tiger!" He grinned, ruffling his son's hair through Jack's protests.

Afterwards, Jack had been lying in his bed, still remembering Tooth's head on his chest, and the comforting feeling that had surrounded them both. She really had been quite beautiful, he thought, as he slipped out of consciousness.

Now, here he was, finishing off his breakfast and wondering what the day would bring. He had never gone to a movie with Tooth before, but he knew the only movie theatre in Burgess was a small, somewhat broken down building that most kids only went inside to kiss during the movies. It wasn't terrible, and Jack looked forward to seeing Tooth again, no matter what his suspicions were about Pitch. Finishing up the cereal, Jack placed his dishes away, heading upstairs to take a shower.

* * *

As Tooth waited for Pitch's car to pull up, she made sure she had everything she needed. Her purse was open, and she had taken her wallet out to make sure she had enough money for the movie. Clipping everything up, she made sure her blouse's tag wasn't sticking out, then fluffed up her wavy hair. Tooth didn't want to overdress, since it was just a casual outing. The doorbell rang, and Tooth trotted down the steps to answer it.

"Hey, Pitch!" Tooth chirped as she opened the door. Pitch smiled, turning on his heel after greeting her and escorting Tooth towards his car.

Tooth hopped in, not used to riding in Pitch's squishy seats. She thanked him for the ride as she quietly closed the car door behind her. Pitch pulled out of Tooth's house and drove down the street quietly. Tooth lifted her knees up from the seat to place her head on as she stared out the window silently. She wondered if Bunny was still driving right now, or if he was at the tournament? She sighed, daydreaming as the road swept by.

"Lost in thought?" Pitch commented as he drove.

Tooth looked up out of her daze, then answered, "Uh, yeah. I tend to daydream in the car."

"What about?"

Tooth thought on the question before answering, "Different stuff, really. Mostly what's happening right now, but also some other stuff. Pretty boring, I know."

Pitch chuckled, replying, "No, not boring at all. We all tend to daydream."

Tooth nodded, slipping back into quiet thoughtfulness. They drove in silence the rest of the way there, and Pitch finally parked in front of a small building with movie listings on the outside. Tooth stepped out of the car, stretching. She looked around the theatre for any other cars, but there were only a few in the large parking area. As Pitch went to step inside, Tooth commented, "Hey, shouldn't we wait for Jack?"

Pitch turned around, a little surprised, before stating, "Uh, yeah, that's fine." He walked over to Tooth, who was leaning against the building wall, keeping an eye out to see if she could spot Jack's car. Pitch thought how typical of someone so carefree as Jack to be late.

"I'm going to go buy the tickets," Pitch said after a moment of waiting. Tooth nodded, barely looking up at him. He almost asked her if she wanted to come with him, but thought against it and rushed inside. Of _course _Jack was late. He bought two tickets at the counter from a small, mousey looking woman. Strutting back out, he walked back over to Tooth, hands in his jacket pockets.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, turning to face him. She opened her purse and dug around in it, procuring a wallet. "How much was my ticket?" she asked, flipping through her bills.

"It's okay, tickets are on me." Pitch smiled, patting Tooth's shoulder.

"Wow, thanks Pitch!" Tooth giggled, snapping her purse up. She added, "I guess I'll have to repay you, huh?"

Pitch just shrugged, not really caring. He leaned against the wall next to Tooth, who was still looking for Jack.

After a few more minutes of waiting, Jack's car raced around the corner. He quickly parked close to Pitch, jumping out and looking a little disheveled. "Sorry," he gasped, "Something came up and it took me a while to get out."

Tooth replied, "Oh, it's okay! Mind if I ask what was holding you up?"

Jack's eyes became a bit distant and cold before he replied smoothly, "Just some stuff with my dad, no big deal. Has the movie already started?"

"About to." Pitch commented, staring down at his watch. They rushed inside, and Pitch handed the two tickets to a woman standing at the back of the building, near a hallway where the movies were.

"Did you pay for mine?" Jack asked as Pitch and Tooth walked through.

"Oh! I forgot!" Pitch answered with surprise, "Do you have enough money to?"

"Yeah." Jack eyed Pitch suspiciously before adding, "Pick out some seats, I'll be there in a few." He wheeled around, quickly walking towards the concession stand.

"One ticket, please." Jack stated to the woman behind the counter as he ruffled through his pockets, trying to find his money. He didn't believe for a second that Pitch had forgotten his ticket. Why was he acting so _weird? _For months Pitch had been the shy, quiet one of the group, only speaking up when a topic really interested him or if someone asked him a direct question. He seemed to be a bit brooding, but Jack had never seen this side of Pitch before, and he certainly didn't like it. He had a certain air of forced smoothness about him, and a cold joking to go along with it.

Jack tried to play it off as the girl behind the counter handed him his ticket. He thanked her, swiping it up and trotting off, trying to get to the theatre quickly.

"Third on your left." The woman stated after Jack handed her his ticket. He walked quickly down the isle, entering the theatre. As he walked in, Tooth waved from their seats near the top of the small isle. Only one or two other couples were in there, and Jack walked up to meet them as the lights began to dim and the movie started.

It was a silly action movie Pitch had picked out, not extremely interesting. Tooth sat in the middle between Jack and Pitch, legs up and chin resting on her knees. She watched the movie attentively, not saying a word. Jack, not paying close attention to the film, poked Tooth on her side, smiling.  
"Hey!" she whispered, wheeling around.

Jack chuckled and murmured back, "Hey yourself. You were watching the movie so closely I had to make sure you were still alive."

Tooth huffed, "Of course, I'm just trying to pay attention!" she poked him back in the stomach, giggling before turning back around.

Pitch, a bit bored, leaned down close to Tooth. He whispered, "I think you might be the only one enjoying this."

Tooth turned for barely a second, a bit confused, before a loud explosion came from on screen and she spun around, exclaiming, "Oh! I missed it! What happened?"

Most of the movie went by like this, a couple of teases from Pitch and Jack, and Tooth waving them off, trying to watch the film. When the credits started rolling, Tooth giggled, jumping out of her seat and stretching luxuriously. She spun around to the two guys, chatting about the movie and some of the best scenes. The three of them walked out of the movie theatre, Tooth bouncing around as they stepped into the chilly air.

"We should go eat something, I'm starving!" Tooth exclaimed suddenly, spinning around to face Jack and Pitch.

"Yeah, me too." Jack commented, rubbing the back of his neck.

Tooth glanced at Pitch, looking for his confirmation. "Uh," he replied, "I think I'll have to get home soon, I've got some... uh.. chores, to do." Pitch patted his jacket and back pockets, looking for money. He hadn't thought of bringing any extra money, and didn't want to have Tooth or Jack pay for his dinner.

"Aww, okay." Tooth pouted. She turned to Jack, asking, "So if Pitch has to leave, can you give me a ride home?"

Jack thought for a moment before answering, "Mm hmm, I think that'll work."

Tooth nodded, walking over to Pitch and giving him a tight hug. "Thanks for the ride and the ticket!" she proclaimed, stepping away. Pitch nodded, a little shocked from the hug. He said goodbye to Tooth and Jack, then headed towards his car.

"So, where you wanna go?" Tooth questioned Jack.

Jack thought on the question for a moment before announcing excitedly, "You know, I might have the perfect place. Come on." he steered Tooth over to his car, and she jumped in, wondering where they were going to go. There weren't many places open already, and it was starting to get pretty late.

Jack sped down the roads, hoping the place he had in mind was still open. It seemed like the kind of place Tooth would love to go in order to just relax for a little while. He could see Tooth curiously looking outside, trying to find some clue as to where they could be going. Jack didn't think Tooth had been there, since he had only found it when he had first come to Burgess and had gotten lost when he was driving around.

As they rounded a corner, Jack began to slow, seeing his destination. There were a few small lights on, and Jack smiled, happy that it was still open. He pulled the car into the small parking lot, hopping out and walking around to Tooth's door to open it for her.

"Madame," he bowed teasingly, a mischievous grin on his face. He held out a hand for her, and Tooth giggled, thanking him as she got out.

"So, this is the place, huh?" She looked up at the tiny shop, something she would have passed by without a moment's notice if not for Jack. She looked up to the small sign on the top that read : _Anna's diner: pastries, coffee, and comfort food. _There were only a few lights on inside, but there was a bright open sign in the window of the diner.

"Yep!" Jack replied, "It's small, and run by one lady with a few employees, but the food is really good." He walked with Tooth up the steps, opening the door for her.

"Thanks!" she smiled, poking him as she walked past. He chuckled and slipped inside behind her.

Inside, one or two customers milled about as a Hindu woman scribbled in a notebook behind the counter. She had long, rich hair, and was transfixed in what she was working on. Jack and Tooth walked over to her, and she popped her head up as they came near, smiling when she saw Jack.

"Ah! Hello, Jack." she said warmly, "Would you like a seat?"

"Yes, please." Jack replied. He added, "Anna, this is Tooth. Tooth, this is Annapurna, or Anna." he gestured back and forth, introducing the two. He was good friends with Anna, coming to her diner often after he had found it.

"Hi, Anna! It's nice to meet you!" Tooth reached over the counter to shake the young woman's hand. Anna happily shook it back, then stepped around the counter to escort them to their seats. She picked out a small corner booth with two sides for each of them.

"Oh, excuse me, do you have a restroom?" Tooth turned around, blushing.

"Through that door." Anna pointed Tooth in the direction, and Tooth thanked her before slipping out.

"So, she's pretty." Anna turned to Jack with a mischievous grin.

"Yeah.." Jack smiled unconsciously before continuing, "a-and she's dating a guy, Bunnymund." Jack blushed despite his efforts not to.

Anna squinted her eyes, giggling as she watched Jack stutter. She replied, "Mm hmm, not something you're too happy with, I assume." At Jack's shocked expression, she laughed.

"N-no! Bunny's perfectly fine! He and Tooth have been dating for a while!" he stammered back.

"Shh, you don't have to defend yourself, lover boy." Anna grinned mischievously before handing Jack two menus and turning around, deep black hair making a slight swishing sound.

Jack ran a hand through his soft hair, trying to think of something to get the red out of his cheeks before Tooth came back. He eyed the small menu, looking through the options, even though he got the same thing every time.

Tooth walked back out, sliding into Jack's booth. She leaned over to see him surveying the menu. "What's good?" she asked, peering at Jack.

"Almost everything." Jack smiled, turning to Tooth, "but I always get the house sandwich, it's a homemade recipe of Anna's and it's amazing."

"Mm, sounds good!" Tooth giggled. "I think I'll get it too, I don't feel like deciding on anything at the moment." She yawned, looking her own menu over just to make sure there wasn't anything that peaked her interest.

After a few minutes of waiting, Anna walked back over and asked them what they wanted to eat and drink. They both ordered tea and the house sandwich, and Anna happily went to the kitchen to make them.

"Phew, it's getting late." Tooth said sleepily, "I hope I'm still awake enough to eat it by the time it comes out."

"Don't worry," Jack answered, "Anna cooks really quickly and she's got two assistants."

Tooth nodded, placing her head against the booth. "Sorry about Pitch forgetting your ticket earlier."

Jack forced a smile and replied, "Hey, don't worry about it. People are forgetful."

Tooth rubbed her shoulders, looking down at her feet. "I just can't help but feel like it wasn't an accident," she stated, "I mean, I don't know why, you and Pitch get along, right?"

Jack nodded, a bit curious himself. He answered honestly, "I think Pitch has been acting a bit weird lately. Or is that just me?"

Tooth's eyes widened and she replied fervently, "Yeah! I thought so, too! He hasn't been as shy or anything, it's like all of his shyness just sort of washed away. I hope he's not turning mean, I don't want him to constantly do stuff like today."

Jack waved his hand, stating, "Nah, I'm sure he'll get over it." It made more sense to him now, after what Tooth had said. Pitch had been less shy, quite dramatically so. Maybe he wasn't shy in the first place? But that was preposterous.

"Here you two are!" Anna waltzed back over, placing their food in front of them. "Jack, you want the bill now or later?"

"Now is good." Jack replied. When Tooth tried to protest about the money, Jack cut her off, saying, "It's okay Tooth, you owe me one." He winked at her, taking the bill from Anna's hands.

Tooth felt really bad. She didn't want the guys spending a bunch of money on her! First Pitch, and now Jack, she hadn't spent any money! "Please, let me pay for mine!" She said as Jack took the bill. He just waved her off, looking at the price and sticking some money into the small envelope before handing it back to Anna.

Tooth pouted, but Jack just chuckled before taking a large bite out of his sandwich. Tooth looked down, grabbing hers up and taking a small bite. Wow, it really was good! She bit into it happily, Jack laughing at her surprised expression.

After a couple minutes of eating, Tooth's mind began to wonder, and she suddenly remembered, "Oh! So what exactly were you doing with your dad earlier?"

Jack stopped eating suddenly, freezing up. Deciding to be honest, he replied, "I was with him.. in court."

Tooth, surprised Jack had opened up to his whereabouts, nearly exclaimed, "Why were you in court?"

Jack rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. Tooth was digging at the edge of a very long story. He remembered the times he had avoided the questions surrounding his predicament earlier. Was it time to share his secret?

Jack leaned against the booth, eyes worried as he explained, "I've been going for a while now. Stuff to do with my mom."

Tooth's eyes shined with curiosity. Jack's mom? He had never even mentioned her! She thought through what he said about going for a while. An idea struck her, and she inquired, "If you've been going to court for a while.. is _that _why you were gone during class some days? Like the time in art when you showed up halfway through class."

Jack sighed, wondering if he should avoid the question. As he turned to answer, he stared into Tooth's eyes, full of genuine concern. He realized he had been hiding his secret for months now, but.. If Tooth had told him about Haroom, it was time to return the favor. Jack replied, "Yeah, that's where I've been... my parents divorced a while ago, and uh.. they've been fighting over... the custody of my sister."

Tooth couldn't _believe _Jack was telling her all of this! His mother, his _sister? _Tooth didn't even know he had one! Trying to be sensitive, she quietly inquired, "So, why are they fighting for custody?"

Jack turned to Tooth, reaching out a hand. Tooth quickly grasped it up in hers as he began to tell her his story.

"Quite a few months ago, my sister Emma and I lived with our parents, a few hours away from here. It was nice, we were a pretty quiet family, nothing really ever happened to us. Emma had been bugging me about wanting to learn how to ice skate." Jack stopped for a moment, replaying the scene in his head.

"My mom is bit of a safety freak. She didn't like the idea of Emma ice skating, so I taught her on my own, whenever we could make an excuse. There was a little pond we used to go to, just big enough to practice on. For weeks, Emma and I would slip out there, and just practice on getting better. One day, my mom was taking a nap, and my dad was watching TV. I think he knew about what we were doing, but he was more or less okay with it.

"That day, we didn't really notice it was a bit warmer than usual. As we were practicing, the ice started to crack." Old panic flashed in Jack's eyes. Tooth rubbed the palm of his hand comfortingly, patiently awaiting Jack to continue with a look of concern on her face.

"Emma was scared. I was, too, but I couldn't let her know. She was in the worst of it, and I managed to slip to the edge where the ice wasn't cracking as badly. I inched out to her, slowly, and was able to grab her hand. We thought we had gotten out alive.

"But she slipped, and the ice fell in. I had such a loose hold on her hand, she was so far away, and I just watched as she.. fell." Jack's eyes were brimmed with tears, and Tooth couldn't help but think of Haroom, how she thought her father's plane flight had no way of not landing safely. Jack continued, "I didn't even hesitate, I just jumped straight in after her. She hadn't sunk deep, so I grabbed her and started swimming back up. I don't know how, but I managed to get out of the lake. I ran, at least I tried to, all the way back home. I collapsed with Emma in my arms in one of the neighbor's yards. Thankfully they had been home and were able to get us into the hospital in time."

Jack blinked, trying to hold back his tears. One slid down his cheek, and Tooth cleaned it off for him, just like he had for her when she was talking about Haroom. "We were both sick for a while, in the hospital. I had some cuts and bruises, but she was really bad. I'm just glad she lived. I would have never, ever forgiven myself if she had died." More tears escaped from Jack's eyes, and Tooth sat closer, putting an arm around his waist.

"After that, arguments between my parents began to break out. My mother blamed it all on me, for taking Emma out. My dad defended me to the end, and the end was my mom threatening divorce, or so we thought. I had to keep Emma away from the fighting, but my mom started becoming more protective of her, and wouldn't let Emma out of her sight. When they started filing divorce papers, my father tried to take both Emma and I, but my mom fought against it to keep her. I know she liked Emma more than me, she thought I was a troublemaker for some accidents in school."

"Jack, a mom can't love one of her children more than the other." Tooth assured him, trying to comfort him. She rubbed his arm, stating, "Your mom is just a little misguided right now, but I'm sure she loves you."

Jack smiled bitterly, shaking his head as he responded forcefully, "No, you'd think that, but she doesn't even let me see Emma anymore. She won't take her to the court cases unless it's mandatory. I haven't seen my sister in _months. _I don't even know if I'll see her again, if my mom wins. I'm so sorry for what I did, but I just miss Emma _so much._" He looked over to Tooth, eyes red and blurry.

Tooth placed a hand on the side of Jack's face, other one still gripping his waist. "Thank you, Jack, for telling me." her eyes were brimmed with tears as she continued, "I know what it's like to feel torn apart from something you love so quickly, and it hurts. And I want you to know, that I will always be here for you. You didn't do anything bad, you just cared for your sister, is all. I know it took a while for you to say something, but don't ever hesitate to tell me." she smiled sadly. "After all, we both know I've been through the same thing, maybe not as rough, but still." She looked into his deep eyes, searching for any sign that she had gotten through.

Jack stared down at the girl next to him, compassion filling her violet eyes. Her tan skin was pressed against his cheek, and as he listened to her words, the tears left his eyes. He placed a his hand over the one on her cheek, replying, "You're right, Tooth. And I should be thanking you."

Tooth got up out of her seat, Jack accompanying her. They quietly walked out of the diner, into Jack's car. Jack's hand was on Tooth's shoulder until they went to the separate sides of the car, something Tooth didn't mind.

The ride home was quiet, Jack and Tooth both lost in their thoughts. As Jack parked in the driveway, Tooth turned to him one last time, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Stay safe, Jack." she stated, "And don't let the past haunt you."

Jack's eyes were taking in the moment, Tooth's hand on his shoulder, tired eyes looking at him in a way that showed she really did care. Her body was inclined towards his so that she could face him almost entirely. Jack leaned in a bit closer, listening to Tooth's reassuring words. She looked beautiful sitting there, her hair reflecting the moon's soft light. Suddenly, Jack was overcome with emotion for his young sister, for the unfortunate events placed on him, _for Tooth._

Jack leaned forward, cupping Tooth's face in his hands, and kissed her on the lips.

He didn't know _why, _he didn't pause to think about Bunny and Tooth, he could only think of Tooth. He wasn't trying to take advantage of her kindness, he knew he had wanted this for a while, and after tonight it just felt _right. _He could feel Tooth's small intake of breath as he kissed her. He didn't want it to be a peck, either, but instead Jack softly, slowly kissed her, taking in her beauty.

Tooth saw Jack's face lean into hers, but at first she didn't realize his intentions. Shocked, her eyes shot open as Jack kissed her, while his were squeezed shut. The pair of lips were foreign on hers, and she didn't know what to do as Jack lingered on Tooth's lips. For some reason, she had almost suspected it, but she didn't know how to react, how to feel or think -

Had Jack really liked her all along?

Jack pulled away after a moment, blushing furiously. Tooth stammered, not sure how to react. "I.. Uhm.. _Jack.. _" she murmured, cheeks hot.

Jack's eyes softened as he realized what had happened. "Oh, _Tooth.." _he started.

"Jack.. I... I have to.." Tooth couldn't get a grip on the words she wanted to say. She opened her car door. "I have to.. go.." she breathed, looking into this eyes. Jack nodded, turning away. "Goodbye," she whispered as she hurried out of the car, quickly walking up the porch stairs and escaping inside as Jack ashamedly drove away.

As she got inside, Tooth ran to her room, unsure of what to do. Then, she realized.

Jack had taken her first kiss.

* * *

**I would like to take this time to say my readers are superbly awesome!**

**Thank all of you for following my story! I'm really happy you guys enjoy it uwu **

**Please leave a review, let me know what you thought!**


	11. The Aftermath

**Ugh I'm so sorry guys ;n; **

**I was so busy this week I had to write almost the entire thing over the weekend, and I was struggling because I wanted to get the thoughts just right..**

**Again, sorry for making you wait so long, hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Jack drove home, cheeks flushed and mind racing. He almost immediately regretted his decision to kiss Tooth... no, he didn't regret it. Jack had enjoyed kissing her, and he knew it. He hoped Tooth wasn't mad at him, he didn't want to seem as if he took advantage of her at all, he wanted it to be real and genuine. It was his first kiss, after all.

But what about Tooth? Was she angry? Jack didn't want his moment of stupidity to hurt their relationship. He wished that he could go into Tooth's mind right now, to know what she was thinking... Did she hate him right now? Tooth was probably just as confused as Jack at the moment, maybe even more so. Had she, just maybe.. liked it? She certainly hadn't pulled away, but Jack _had _surprised her...

Jack's knuckles were white on the steering wheel. It was too late to go back now. He would deal with the consequences, whatever they might involve, as long as he and Tooth were okay. He would let Tooth decide the best plan of action, and go along with it. If she didn't tell Bunnymund, that was fine with him. Jack nodded to himself, and as he drove a small smile tugged at his lips. He had _kissed _Tooth.

* * *

Tooth was freaking out.

After running up to her room, she had shut the door behind her, sliding down it, not able to get up. Jack had _kissed _her! Her mind was racing, thinking about all that had happened. It could have been an accident, Jack could have been just caught up in the moment! Had she given off the wrong signals, had she seemed like she wanted to kiss him? She wasn't sure, but he had kissed her all the same. Tooth wondered how Jack must feel right now. Was he upset with her for leaving? He was probably confused, at least she was.

Her first kiss, grabbed up from her by a brown haired boy. Tooth couldn't help but remember moments before, his lips on hers. She could have pushed him away, it certainly would have been easier..

Then why did it feel like this was the kiss she had been waiting for?

Tooth shook her head slightly, leaning against the door and looking at the ceiling of her room. What was she going to do the next time she saw him? What was _Jack _going to do? Could she just act as if nothing happened, and he would be okay with it?

Oh, crud... What about _Bunny?_

If Jack ever mentioned it to Bunny, he would be sent to an infirmary from what Bunny would do to him! Tooth bit her lip, thinking about what Bunny would do to _her. _He would be so upset, Tooth could almost imagine the pain and betrayal in his eyes, the fury in his voice, for once directed at her. It wasn't her fault, _she _hadn't kissed him.. not saying that she hadn't enjoyed it..

Tooth squeezed her eyes shut, thinking quickly. The next time they saw each other... she would act as if nothing happened. She would go on with her life, what was one kiss to her? Jack would either have to fight against it, or go with it, but she was going to plan on that later. Exhausted, she got up from her spot on the floor, cleaning herself up and stepping into the bed covers. She placed her fingers to her lips, feeling her surprise one last time before she drifted into sleep.

* * *

Monday quickly came around before Tooth was ready for it. She tried to calm herself as she waited for Bunny to drive up in his car. She was excited to see him again, but scared at the same time. Would she look guilty to him? Breathing in and out, Tooth calmed herself, instead leaning down to make sure she had all of the supplies in her backpack. She peered out the door to see Bunny in his car, looking tired but content.

Tooth slowly opened the door, stepping outside into the morning air. She walked over to Bunny's car, piling her stuff in, then sitting down with a resigned sigh. She looked over to Bunny, who was grinning happily. Tooth couldn't help but smile back, exclaiming, "Missed you!" as she wrapped her hands around Bunny's sturdy frame. He chuckled, quickly embracing her back. "Missed you, too," he breathed, glad to see Tooth again.

"How did the tournament go?" Tooth asked, pulling away.

Bunny answered, "Oh, it was really good. We just barely won, but we've got another game coming up in a few days, and it'll be good practice. We'll probably be going into finals, Tooth! I can't wait to get my hands on that trophy." He smiled, thinking of what the future would bring.

Tooth took in the information, processing it as she mumbled to herself, "A game in a few days, huh?" Then, louder, she responded, "Bunny, that's awesome. I bet you guys will totally get into finals. Speaking of which, don't wait up for me after school today, okay?"

Bunny, confused, asked why. Tooth explained, "Track stuff. I'm just going to be bringing in some forms and it might take a while, but hopefully we'll be starting practice in a few days!" She giggled, excited. Tooth hadn't done track in a while, but her mother had convinced her to do it this year. Tooth did enjoy running, the feeling of momentary weightlessness between strides, almost as if she were flying. She had never really thought of doing it as a sport, though.

"Sure, who are you going to get a ride from?" Bunny questioned.

Tooth thought for a moment, not realizing she had forgotten to ask someone for a ride. Finally, she responded, "I can probably ask Pitch, I think he's going to be there. If not, then I can ask..." Tooth paused, worry filling her eyes, "Jack."

Bunny, not hearing Tooth's small pause, added, "So, how was your weekend?"

Tooth's mind was racing, and it took her a while to reply, "Kinda boring, not a lot of eventful stuff.. went to see a movie Saturday, not much else." Tooth slipped out of talking, thinking about later. How could she have been so forgetful, not remembering to get a ride? Hopefully she could get Pitch to take her, it would be so awkward with Jack! Tooth gulped, trying to push it to the back of her mind as she stared out the window.

As they neared the school, Bunny noticed Tooth's daydreaming and gently nudged her to signal that they were arriving. Tooth checked her books to make sure she had all of her homework, then hopped out of the car after it pulled up to the school. Saying a swift goodbye to Bunny, she trotted off to class, thoughts still swirling through her mind.

Tooth didn't realize she wasn't anxious just because of track after school until the bell rang for lunch. As she made her way towards the cafeteria, Tooth remembered she was going to act as if nothing had happened between her and Jack. Steeling herself over, Tooth tried to calm herself as she sat down at the lunch table, placing down her supplies with an air of forced peace.

"Hiya, Tooth! Have a good weekend?" Nightlight exclaimed as he walked over to the table, sitting down next to Tooth. She nodded in response, quietly chatting with him.

"So, how are you and Katherine?" Tooth giggled, winking at her friend.

"Aww, Tooth," Nightlight rubbed the back of his neck, cheeks flushed, "Well, ya know, at the dance, we had a really good time!" Nightlight paused, trying not to stutter. He continued at a whisper, "She hasn't said anything though.. since then. Not a bad thing, but not a good thing?" He looked at Tooth, wanting to know her opinion.

Tooth chuckled and happily replied, "Don't worry, Nightlight. Just give her some time, you know how she likes to think things through, but I'm sure she'll come around." Nightlight, looking relieved, swirled back around in his seat, facing his lunch. Tooth talked with him as the others began to file in as usual. In a few minutes, only Bunny and Jack were missing.

Tooth cracked her knuckles absentmindedly as she waited for Bunny and Jack to arrive. After a moment, she could make out Bunny's figure loping towards her, a smile plastered on his face.

"What do you look so happy about?" Tooth questioned as he drew nearer.

"The game's been moved to tomorrow!" He proclaimed as he sat down, wrapping an arm around Tooth. He continued, "If we win it, we've got a sure spot in the finals. It's gonna be tough, but I think we can pull through."

Tooth congratulated Bunny as the others asked how the tournament had gone. She listened to him relay the information to Nightlight, Katherine and Pitch, when she felt someone sit down next to her. After an odd silence, she mumbled, "Hey, Jack."

"Hey Tooth." he replied almost immediately. Tooth could feel the tensions between the two of them, so trying to make light of it, she asked, "You bringing in the track forms today?"

Jack, surprised Tooth had spoken up, answered, "Y-yeah. I did track before I moved, so.. thought it would be good to get back in it." Tooth nodded, turning to listen in on Bunny's conversation.

"-Yep! So, we're playing tomorrow, it's a big game!" He finished, grinning widely.

Tooth asked, before she realized what she way saying, "Bun, you think I can come watch your game tomorrow?"

Bunnymund looked over, a bit surprised. Tooth hardly ever asked to watch his games! He heartily replied, "Of course, Tooth! Heck, all of you can come if you want, it's just down at the soccer fields at around seven, I don't mind if you want to join." Tooth gave a small smile, the bell ringing before she could say anything else. She shouldered her way out of the lunchroom, too preoccupied with her thoughts to say goodbye to anyone.

As she entered Mr. North's classroom, Tooth tried to keep to herself, pulling out some paper and a pen to take notes. As Mr. North began his lecture, Tooth absentmindedly doodled on the edge of the page. As class was starting, a small ball of paper hit her desk, and Tooth couldn't help but feel as if she had been waiting for it. Nervous and scared to know what Jack had to say, she opened the ball to see one word placed on the small scrap.

_Forgiven?_

Tooth could feel Jack trying to catch her eye, but she sat there, staring at the paper. Forgiven? Jack knew she was dating Bunny, he knew what he had done was wrong! But as she relayed what she had thought about before, she couldn't help but think it wasn't her place to forgive him. Jack hadn't done anything dangerous or deadly. And honestly... she knew deep down, she felt it was the kiss she had been waiting for. Summing up her courage, Tooth wrote a truthful, thoughtful response. Anxious, scared to know what Jack would think, would he smile, would he laugh, would he be indifferent.. she threw the paper over to his desk, body shaking as she watched for Jack reach for the paper, about to open it...

When another pair of larger hands snatched it out of his grasp.

"Are you passing the notes in my class?" Mr. North stared at Jack with accusing eyes, opening the paper and reading it to himself. After reading, he crumpled the paper back up into a small ball, shoving it into his pants.

"No more notes," he exclaimed to Jack, "unless it is of teaching! Just because you have good grade does not mean you can be goof off!" Mr. North walked back to the front of class, beginning where he left off. Jack pretended to brush it off as no big deal, but deep down he was yearning to know what Tooth had replied. It had taken her a good long while to write back, and now the different outcomes were racing through his head.

Tooth, afraid to pass any more notes for fear of getting caught again, sat silently for the rest of class. When the bell rang, she hopped out of her seat, scooting down the hallway towards the art classroom. Today was the last day they were working on their painting project before they had to turn it in. Mr. Sandy was also going to reveal what the next project was going to be, the very last one of the semester. Tooth still had a few finishing touches to put on her painting, and planned on working hard the entire period.

Tooth came in, placing her stuff down and quickly grabbing up her paints and artwork before sitting down at her usual spot. Before starting, she glanced up to see the new message Sandy had written on the whiteboard:

_Last day for projects!_

_Once you finish, please turn them in to me with your name on the back. _

_If you finish before the end of class, our new project will be centered on sketching. Grab a friend, pull out your phone (yes, I know you all have yours) and take a picture of their face. _

_Your homework is to print this face out, don't forget! We'll be learning the basics later this week, then starting on the actual face drawing sometime next week. _

_Have fun!_

Tooth smiled, thinking about the upcoming assignment as she began to add some paint onto her nearly finished artwork. Her face had come out well, and Tooth thought she had captured the childlike happiness pretty well. The costume was a bit harder, due to the feathers, but she was able to finish it with time. Tooth touched up the border, adding slight details so that the piece would really pop out. Soon, she felt someone slide into the seat next to her, and silently work on his own project. Should she say something? Deciding against talking to Jack, Tooth let the silence sit between them, feeling a bit awkward.

Suddenly, there was the 'click!' of a phone's camera, and Tooth whirled around in her seat. Jack was grinning widely, trying to hold in a chuckle as he looked at the picture.

"Hey!" Tooth exclaimed, trying to grab the phone up, "Why'd you do that?!" She managed to snatch the phone out of Jack's hands, looking at the picture. She had a very grim, determined expression on her face in the photo, and Tooth deleted it, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"You gonna be my partner or what?" Jack responded. It took Tooth a moment to realize he was talking about the project, and she blushed furiously, handing Jack his phone back.

"Sure," she mumbled, "as long as you don't do a gross picture like that."

Jack laughed, answering, "Well then, sit up princess, or I'll be forced to take one of you while you're working."

Tooth rolled her eyes, sitting up in her seat and pulling her long hair back. As Jack was about to take the picture, he looked at Tooth and said, "Eh.. that doesn't seem like a real smile."

Tooth cocked an eyebrow, replying, "How does a smile seem _not _like a smile?"

Jack playfully groaned, "Come on, Tooth! You of _all people _should know what a real smile looks like. Just, I dunno, think of something awesome, like teeth, or me."

Tooth giggled at Jack's retort, and he quickly hit the camera button. He turned the picture towards her, and Tooth saw herself smiling widely back. "Now _that's _a smile," Jack grinned, happy with the picture.

Tooth grabbed her phone out of her small purse. "Okay, Mr. Teeth, it's your turn now." she laughed. Jack stood up straight in his chair, flashing her a toothy grin. Tooth quickly took a picture, giggling at Jack's face and pearly whites. She snapped up her phone and placed it back, turning instead to her painting, nearly finished. For that moment, Tooth had been able to joke around with Jack, but now the uncommon silence had found its way back.

Tooth hated it, but now everything Jack did she was calculating in her head, and she couldn't help but be defensive. Tooth knew he meant well, she just had a way of making things worse.

After a few more minutes of silent working, Jack cleared his throat and whispered, "So, about the note in Mr. North's class..."

Tooth nearly jumped out of her seat, grabbing up her painting. For some reason she sputtered, "I am- I - am going to take this, to Mr. Sandy." Tooth walked away, not sure why she just did that. Maybe she felt her response had been a bit early? Shaking her head, she brought her work over to Sandy's desk, placing it in front of him. He smiled, nodding at her before she turned around. Tooth felt as if she needed to wait to tell Jack if he was forgiven, though unsure why.

The bell rang soon after Tooth sat back down, and she walked out of the classroom, down towards the gymnasium, where she was supposed to turn in her track forms. Tooth swept by her locker, picking up the forms and putting her homework into her backpack. She walked down to the large gym, where a few tables were set up around the room. Coach Atalanta was sitting at one of these, her long brown hair tied up in a bun, and looking pretty bored. Tooth trotted over, smiling. "Hey, Coach! I brought my forms!" she exclaimed, handing them over. Atalanta smiled, knowing Tooth from PE, which Tooth had taken a few years prior. She quickly glanced over the forms, then placed them in a tray, thanking her.

"Is there anything else I need to do?" Tooth asked.

"Just one more thing, here's your locker number and combination," Coach Atalanta handed a slip of paper over to Tooth, "Just head on down to the girl's locker room, and anything you wanna put in there you can." Tooth nodded, taking the paper and walking down to the locker rooms underneath the gym. As she walked, she spotted Pitch and waved him over.

"Hey, Tooth!" He smiled, strolling over to her, "Need something?"

"Yeah, actually," Tooth replied, "Do you think you could give me a ride home? I just need to go put some stuff up in my PE locker, but that's it."

"Of course I can." Pitch replied smoothly, patting Tooth on the shoulder. He added, "I'll be near my car, just come when you can."

Tooth, not wanting Pitch to wait, nodded and hurriedly went into the locker rooms, entering the girls and looking for her locker. After she found it, Tooth twisted the combination in, opening it and stuffing in some track clothes, along with some deodorant and other supplies. Quickly shutting it, Tooth trotted back up the steps, exiting out into the mild spring air.

Tooth walked over to Pitch's car, which he was waiting by. She slipped into the seat, putting her backpack underneath the seat as she sighed, tired. Pitch got in and began driving quietly. After a few minutes of silence, he piped up, "So, what did you and Jack do after I had to leave?"

Tooth's eyes shot open, and she slowly replied, "We just went out to eat, like I said." She lay her head back, closing her eyes.

"Mmm.." Pitch mumbled. He was still angry he hadn't thought of bringing more money, and that Tooth had been with Jack alone. Well, as long as they had just had a regular, boring time, that was fine. "I just thought you seemed... well, nevermind, it isn't important now."

Pitch dropped Tooth off at her house, waving a goodbye before pulling away. As he drove home, Pitch couldn't help but think that something didn't exactly feel right with Tooth, but he just wasn't sure what.

* * *

Tooth straightened her ruffled, layered blouse as she stared into the mirror. She pulled up her skinny jeans then took her long, wavy hair, tying it up into a loose pony tail that trailed down her back. She smiled into the mirror, giving herself one last look as she grabbed her purse up and ran out the door. "Mom, I'm going out!" she called as she opened the door, letting in the evening air.

"Okay, tell Bunnymund I wish him good luck!" Rashmi called from within the house. Tooth closed the door behind her, trotting over to Rashmi's car and hopping in, starting the engine. It was the night of Bunny's soccer game, and Tooth was already running late! She quickly pulled out of the driveway, racing along the road to get to the high school, where the game would be held.

Bunny had been talking about it almost all day, and Tooth couldn't help but feel excited! This was a pretty big game, and she wanted to be there to support him. Tooth didn't know if anybody else in their group was going to show up, even though Bunny had openly invited them. Nightlight liked to go to some of Bunny's matches, as he enjoyed soccer, but wasn't into it nearly as much as Bunny was.

Tooth parked in the front of the school, where multiple cars were already placed. She hopped out, grabbing her purse, and started pacing towards the fields at the back of the school, where most of the games were held. The players were already out on the field, doing stretches, and the game was moments away from starting. Bright lights covered the area, and there was a small crowd on the stands. Tooth could see Bunny on one of the benches as she drew closer, and yelled , "Hey, Bunny!"

He twisted around, breaking into a grin as he saw Tooth. Bunnymund jogged over to her, glad that Tooth had shown up. He wrapped her up in a warm embrace, and she breathed, "Good luck on the game tonight, Bun." He pulled away, thanking her before trotting back on field as his coach called for a group huddle.

Tooth turned around, looking for a place to sit in the stands. She looked up at some figures waving near the top of the stands. "Tooth! Over here!" one of them called, laughing. Tooth made her way up the stands, until she found the row her friends were sitting on. Nightlight, Katherine, Pitch and Jack were all there, laughing and having a good time.

"I didn't know you guys were coming!" Tooth said with a bit of surprise.

"Yeah, we all decided to show up and cheer for Bunnymund!" Nightlight laughed, clapping Tooth on the shoulder.

"We wanted to see if the kangaroo is really as good as he says." Jack chuckled.

"Not to mention we didn't want you to have to sit out here all alone," Katherine added, "come sit next to me, I think we're the only two that know near to nothing about soccer."

Tooth giggled, sliding her way over to Katherine, landing between her and Pitch. As the game started, they whooped and cheered for Bunny's team, jeering at the referee whenever he made a false call. Nightlight, who was sitting opposite of Katherine, leaned down, whispering, "Hey, did you find time to make the sign?"

"Oh, yeah!" Katherine smiled, hopping up out of her seat. She continued, "I left them in my car, I'll be right back!"

"What.. sign?" Tooth looked at Nightlight suspiciously as Katherine ran off.

"You'll see." He chuckled, turning his eyes back onto the game.

Pitch yawned, leaning back. "Man, I know these guys aren't professionals, but back home we were born and raised with soccer. This is like watching the middle school play."

Tooth rolled her eyes playfully, explaining, "Well, soccer hasn't really picked up until recently around here, but I'm glad more people are getting into it! At least they have Bunny on their team, he was raised up learning it too." She turned her eyes to the field, watching as Bunny kicked the ball far away from the opposing team's goal, looking positively in his element.

"Got 'em!" Katherine ran back up the stands, holding underneath her arm 5 big poster boards. Tooth whisked around, curious as to what they were for. Katherine and Nightlight each handed out one of the boards to the group. Tooth flipped hers over, and somewhat quickly painted on the other side was a large "N". They others flipped their boards over as well, and Tooth saw that it spelt out "BUNNY" in large letters.

"Okay, on the count of three, everyone raise their sign up and yell 'Bunny', alright?" Nightlight grinned.

"Am I the only one that feels like we're cheering on an actual rabbit?" Jack smirked, and they chuckled together at his remark.

"Okay guys, one.. two... three!" Nightlight yelled, throwing his sign up in the air, the others accompanying him.

"BUNNY!" They shouted in unison, putting in an extra few whoops and screams. Bunny turned on the field, grinning at their display before going back to his game. The group laughed together as they put their boards down, feeling a bit silly but ecstatic all the same.

"I'm gonna go see if they've got anything at the concession stand. Anyone want to come?" Jack asked, looking over their faces as he stood up.

"I could do with something." Pitch replied, easing himself out of his seat. He accompanied Jack down the stands and to the side of the field, where a small concession stand was built.

Jack looked over the small list of items, digging in his pockets for a couple of dollars. "One water, please, and some popcorn." He handed the money over to the cashier, who walked around the station, getting Jack's food.

"So, what did you and Tooth do after I left?" Pitch asked casually, leaning against the stand.

Jack's face went to a joking happiness into a more serious mood as he replied coldly, "We just went out to eat."

Pitch's squinted his eyes, looking Jack up and down. He continued, "Oh really, that's all? You and Tooth have been seeming to have some.. tensions, lately." he looked at the menu of snacks with an air of boredom, a mischievous smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Jack's eyes hardened into a steely cold as he replied sharply, "We ate, and that's it. It's none of your business anyways, Pitch, so why don't you just stop nosing around?" Jack grabbed his snacks from the cashier that was handing it to him, adding, "And what was the deal with you not paying for my ticket? It's kind of hard to forget when you and Tooth were waiting for me outside."

Pitch innocently placed a hand to his chest, staring at jack with mock surprise. He retorted, "Oh well you know, Jack, it's easy to make mistakes."

Jack turned around and began to walk away, not wanting any fight with Pitch. Jack couldn't help but wonder if Tooth had said anything to Pitch. He had thought she was trying to hide it, though? Confused, he decided to leave it alone, not wanting to stir up anything.

Pitch shrugged at the receding figure. He realized when he wasn't wanted, and turned away, walking towards his car instead. He honestly didn't care of what Jack thought of him, but he could feel there was something both him and Tooth were hiding.

Jack walked back up to the row, sliding into Pitch's spot next to Tooth. She turned, exclaiming, "Hey Jack, where's Pitch- woah, are you all right?" Tooth looked at his gloomy, angered face, worried that something had happened between him and Pitch.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine!" Jack plastered on a smile, not wanting Tooth to be worried. He added, "I think Pitch decided to leave early. You want some?" Jack held out his bag of popcorn, inclining it towards Tooth.

Tooth, still suspicious, took a couple pieces in her hand. As she turned, she mumbled, barely audible, "That doesn't seem like a real smile," grinning slightly.

Jack laughed, a genuine laugh, and put his hand on Tooth's shoulder in a friendly way. She immediately froze up, and he unsteadily drew back almost as quickly as he had placed it. Was it _always _going to be like this, from now on?

"Uh, sorry.." he coughed, unsure of what to say. Tooth dismissed him with a wave of her hand, trying to watch the soccer game, trying to watch _Bunny _instead. Jack sighed, leaning back in his seat, ruffling his hair in an exasperated manner.

"Ah! No, no, no!" Nightlight wailed, kicking his legs, "Oh, now it's 2-2! Bunny needs to make a goal, quickly, we can't have a tie, and there's only a few minutes left!" he leaned forward, watching the game intently.

Jack watched curiously as Bunny's team struggled to take hold of the ball. One of the players stole the ball out of the opposing team's grasp, kicking it hard across the field. Bunny jumped up, hitting the ball off of his head to get it in the right direction, then raced after it. He was close to the goal now, and the opposing team's goalie was watching Bunny with beady eyes. Bunny looked for an opening and time seemed to slow down as his foot arched upwards, coming down in a slow arc to make contact with the ball. It flew on the ground, straight through one of the player's legs, right past the goalie, who made a fleeting attempt to grab it, and into the net with a solid 'thump'.

Bunny raised his fist in triumph, a wide grin on his face as he yelled happily. Tooth's group cheered from the stands, on their feet with excitement. Bunny had scored! In the last few minutes of the game, the opposing team made an attempt to score another goal, but to no avail. Bunny raced off the field drenched in sweat, but happy all the same. He was greeted by Tooth and the others, still cheering at his incredible goal.

"Thanks guys." He laughed as he stopped in front of them. Tooth grinned, wrapping Bunny up in a sweaty hug.

"Ah, gross," she laughed, pulling away.

"Ah, you asked for it." He chuckled in response, continuing, "Thanks for coming, guys, it was awesome to see you all."

Nightlight laughed, "Man, you were great out there! You've gotten so much better since the last time I saw you! Well, anyways, we've got to be heading out, it's getting pretty late." He waved goodbye, Katherine walking alongside him.

After some last goodbyes, Tooth walked to her own car, getting in and beginning to drive home. She couldn't help but wonder what Jack had looked so flustered about earlier, but thinking of Jack in general made Tooth blush furiously, so she dropped it. Things had been so awkward the past couple days, Tooth could hardly see them getting back to normal. She knew sooner or later, something was going to happen. Tooth just didn't know whose side she was going to be on.


	12. Easter

**I'M ALIIIIIIVE!**

**Sort of.**

**Exams are coming up soon and my schedule has been study-crammed! Unfortunately that means I haven't gotten a lot of writing time in, but I managed to find some small breaks and write down this chapter!**

**Exams start next week, so just to be warned I might not get to update for another week or so.. sorry!**

* * *

Time seemed to pass slowly for Jack.

Days went by, blending into the weeks, but it all seemed to painfully struggle by, and Jack had a feeling he knew why this was.

Tooth hadn't opened up to him, really talked to him, ever since their kiss. She would speak with him, sometimes joke, but there was always a hesitance around them, a thin layer of tension that just seemed to keep building, and they would never get through it. She was the same old Tooth, he was still Jack, but every casual glance and accidental touch she would freeze up to. It seemed as if she was only really comfortable when Bunny was around so that Jack wouldn't try anything, not that he had any real plans to. As long as Tooth didn't say anything, he would stick with her, even though he hated the awkward tension between them.

Bunny had noticed Jack and Tooth but had completely disregarded it, as did most of the others in their group. Actually, as Jack thought about it, the only one who had seemed suspicious was Pitch. Jack gritted his teeth, still remembering Bunny's soccer match. Pitch hadn't been the same in a while, and Jack felt like he was the only one realizing it.

But for Jack, it felt like something was building up, even though he wasn't sure what it was. It seemed like a dam that was forming cracks in it, and sooner or later it was going to burst. Jack wondered if this would be good or bad news for him when it finally broke.

Now, Jack was lying on his bed, letting his thoughts from the last couple of weeks fly by. Easter was coming up this weekend, and Jack knew Tooth had something planned for Bunny's birthday on Easter day. Jack grimaced, rolling over onto his side. Why did Tooth do everything for Bunny? Jack breathed out, knowing the answer already. His tensions with Tooth weren't the only ones lying around, as Jack had become slightly more hostile towards Bunny recently. Of course he knew he was being a bit jealous, but he would never admit to it.

Sighing, Jack closed his eyes, wishing that everything would just go back to normal. After a few more minutes of silence, Jack pushed his way out of bed and walked downstairs, looking for anything to get his mind off of Tooth.

As Jack walked into the kitchen, his father was standing there, succumbed in a news article. Jack quietly milled through the refrigerator when suddenly his dad spoke up, "You okay, Bud? You aren't looking too peachy."

Jack turned around, a bowl and cereal box in his hands. He replied, a bit quietly, "Um, yeah, I'm okay," trying to not meet his dad's eyes. Instead he looked down at the cereal he was making, trying to make his dad believe everything was all right.

Mr. Moon's eyes squinted, and he carefully asked, "You sure? You look like you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders. C'mon, son, sit down." He gestured to the seat in front of him, looking calm but concerned. As Jack sat down, he continued, "Now, I don't want any bull, got it? Ever since we moved you've been happier than.. well, than before the incident. The past couple weeks you've been looking like you've got a death warrant over your head. What's wrong?"

Jack sighed, not wanting to have to explain everything to his father. It wasn't really his dad's business, and it wasn't something he wanted to talk about; so Jack was surprised when he heard himself answer, "Just some school trouble, dad. I goofed up on some stuff and it's just clearing itself out."

Mr. Moon soaked in Jack's words before responding, "School trouble? What, bullying? Grades? Girl issues?" He peered over at his uncomfortable son. Noticing Jack squirm at the mention of girl troubles, he added, "Does it have something to do with the Tooth girl?"

Jack cringed at how spot on his dad usually was. It was like he couldn't even try to hide a secret! He grimaced as he answered truthfully, "Um.. yeah, it does. I don't really want to talk about it.."

Mr. Moon, who wasn't usually the prying type, nodded knowingly. Jack wouldn't speak with him about everything, and he believed sometimes it was for Jack's own good if he stayed out of it. Leaning towards Jack, he stated, "Well, son, I don't know what's really happening with you and her, but if you're having some issues, everything becomes okay in time. It may seem pretty gloomy now, but it won't always be that way. Even if you have to tell her something you might be hiding or are scared to say, it almost always works out for the best." He gave Jack a kind smile, then proceeded to get up from his chair and walk towards the office.

"Thanks, dad." Jack sighed as his father retreated. He thought through his dad's words. Tell Tooth something that he was hiding? Would it be better to tell her how he really felt about her, even though he was almost sure she knew? Jack quietly lost himself in thought as he ate, wondering what he could possibly do. His father's words had ignited something in him, and he was already forming plans in his head.

* * *

Tooth's alarm went off with a loud ring, and she groggily placed a hand over it. Groaning, she curled deeper into the covers, trying to stay warm. She hated having to get up so early on the weekends, even if it was for a good reason. Tooth rubbed her eyes blearily before pushing herself out of bed. She stumbled into the bathroom to get ready, her brain still foggy from sleep. Bunny's birthday was in one week, and she was using today to make plans. Tooth quietly got ready, running her plans through her head. This was going to be Bunny's 18th birthday, and she wanted to make sure it was a good one, so she had concocted a small party secretly with Bunny's mother, Mrs. Aster. They were supposed to meet up later that day, and Tooth had to make sure everything was ready beforehand. She always tried to make good impressions with adults, even Mrs. Aster who was extremely kind and already thought of Tooth as a daughter.

Tooth put on a shirt and short jeans after drying her hair. She grabbed her phone, quickly skipping down the stairs from her room. Trotting into the kitchen, Tooth grabbed some fruit and munched on it, rearing to go. Rashmi, who had heard the noises of Tooth getting up and had struggled out of bed herself, slowly shuffled into the kitchen.

"Do you really have to wake your poor mother at the hour," she groaned playfully, "On the one day I've had off in a while?"

Tooth giggled, apologizing as she wrapped her mom up in a hug. "Sorry," she said again, "but I'm going out to plan for Bunny's birthday with Mrs. Aster, and I wanted a head start, so I'll be heading out soon."

Rashmi smiled as she replied, "Oh, of course, I forgot. You know you go overboard on that boy sometimes, don't spoil him!" she chuckled, patting her daughter on the shoulder as she made her way towards the fridge.

Tooth rolled her eyes, grinning as she answered, "Well, it _is _his 18th birthday, mom! He deserves something fun. Anyways, I'm going to head out. See ya!" she planted a kiss on her mother's cheek before racing out the door.

Tooth hopped into her mother's car, starting it up and quickly pulling out of the driveway. Peering down at her phone, Tooth saw that it was nearing 12 PM already. She was supposed to meet up with Mrs. Aster at 1! She sped off towards her destination, hoping she would be able to make it in time.

Tooth peered out of her car at the giant field where she was meeting Mrs. Aster. It was bigger than a football field and the grass was neatly tended to and cropped. Similar fields surrounded this one, all of them cut off by tall chained fences. In a parking lot near one of the fields, Tooth gasped with horror when she saw Mrs. Aster's car already parked! Had Tooth mixed up the times? Trying not to freak out, Tooth drove down to the parking lot, placing her car next to Mrs. Aster's and getting out as quickly as she could. There were a few other cars parked around, but hardly anyone was to be seen. Tooth trotted towards the field her and Mrs. Aster had in mind, and soon she saw two figures waiting in the distance.

"Mrs. Aster! I'm so so sorry, I thought I was getting here early, I must've mixed up the times!" Tooth called out as ran towards the two figures.

"Oh, dear, you're fine. I got here earlier to make sure everything was sorted out, as far as explaining why we need to rent a giant field." Mrs. Aster replied kindly, her Australian accent lilting her voice.

Next to Mrs. Aster was a tall man in a nice looking suit, who eyed Tooth curiously. Turning back towards the older woman, he continued speaking, "_So, _as I was saying, Mrs. Aster, the field will be rented to you this coming up Sunday. We would be happy to deliver anything else here for you, as long as you are willing to pay a small extra fee."

Tooth walked up to Bunny's mom, who wrapped her up in a warm embrace before replying to the businessman, "Oh, you don't happen to have some old soccer goals we could drag out here? Bunnymund is rather fond of that sport, and I bet he'd be delighted if we had those out here as well."

The businessman nodded, taking out a small notebook and jotting the new request down. He recited, "So, the field, of course, a couple of tents, tables, chairs, and 2 soccer posts. Well, if that's it -"

"Eggs!" Tooth suddenly exclaimed.

"I beg your pardon?" the man said, looking a bit taken aback by the sudden proclamation.

"Oh, I mean.." Tooth blushed, "Well, it _is _going to beEaster, right? Why not have an egg hunt? As long as you're okay with it, Mrs. Aster."

The older woman chuckled, answering, "That sounds just fine to me, my dear. Add it on, let me sign, and we'll be off."

"Oh!" Tooth proclaimed again, "Could you hide them really well? It'll be more fun!"

Mrs. Aster nodded and the man wrote it down as a side note before handing out a small bill to her, which Mrs. Aster quickly wrote her name down on. "But Mrs. Aster!" Tooth nearly yelled, "I was going to help you pay, you don't have to do it all!"

Mrs. Aster laughed merrily, patting Tooth on her shoulder as she explained, "Now Toothiana, I wouldn't want to take any money from you, even if it's for Bunny. No, I'm perfectly fine with paying for it, I'm just so happy you strive to make my little Bunnymund happy." She handed the bill back to the businessman, who thanked her before turning on his heel and leaving. "Now," she continued with a chuckle, "We ought to be heading off! I've got a few things in store, but they shouldn't take too long! Just follow after me, Toothiana." She walked towards her car, Tooth straddling behind. They got into their cars, Tooth waiting for Mrs. Aster to leave first so that she could follow. Soon, Tooth pulled out onto the road, quietly following the car in front her as she wondered where Mrs. Aster planned to go.

After a few minutes of driving, Mrs. Aster made a swift turn off of the normal streets, into a small lot of buildings Tooth would have hardly noticed on her own. She pulled in, parking close to the other car before stepping out. She walked over to Mrs. Aster, asking, "So, what is this place?"

"Oh, we won't be here long, just going to pick up a few decorations!" Mrs. Aster cheerily replied as she stepped up to one of the buildings, entering with the ding of an electronic bell. Tooth followed, her eyes lighting up when she saw what was inside.

Party decorations... _everywhere! _And not the cheap balloons and masks type of decorations, but vibrant colors and makeshift designs, sculptures and beautifully crafted papers! Tooth couldn't help but smile at all of the fun designs, caught up in the sights as Mrs. Aster scurried off to pay for the things she had ordered.

"Mrs. Aster... I didn't really think this was going to be a.. well you know, a fancy party.." Tooth called out, looking around for the older woman.

"It's not!" she heard Mrs. Aster reply from somewhere farther away, "I just wanted to give it a little extra push because of it being Bunnymund's eighteenth birthday! Don't worry, dear, just a few little things, maybe some stuff to put in gift boxes for the guests, oh I used to love those when I was little.." Tooth only half listened as Mrs. Aster merrily droned on. Soon, she came shooting out of the depths of the store before Tooth could have a proper chance to explore, grabbing Tooth's hand and speeding out of the shop. "Come on, now comes the fun part!" she chirped as they headed out. Tooth curiously tried to peek into Mrs. Aster's large shopping bag, but unfortunately the older woman noticed and playfully scolded Tooth, hiding it out of sight.

Tooth quickly got into her car, once again following Mrs. Aster's lead. Tooth loved Mrs. Aster's cheery attitude, which made her fit in with many young adults, despite her real age. She was also caring and motherly, something Tooth aspired to be. She couldn't help but giggle at Mrs. Aster's enthusiasm for whatever she did and complete trusting in others.

Tooth drifted out of her thoughts as Mrs. Aster made her way towards town, pulling into another strip of small buildings. Tooth noticed most of the looked like restaurants. She parked the car and slid out, closing the door behind her. Walking over to Mrs. Aster, she wondered what was in store for the two of them.

"I hope you're hungry!" Mrs. Aster smiled before adding, "we need some food for the Easter party, so I thought we would just try out a few places, if that's all right with you."

Tooth replied, "Oh, yeah, that's fine. Where do you want to start?"

Mrs. Aster entered a nearby restaurant with Tooth following behind. They sat down, ordering a few small bites of food each. Unfortunately, the food wasn't what they had hoped for, and they headed out, looking around the strip mall for a new restaurant. After multiple tries with different restaurants, all with different results, Tooth was starting to become full. Suddenly, she had an idea. "Mrs. Aster, would you mind if I tried something?" she asked as they stepped out of yet another diner.

"Sure, Toothiana, as long as we can find something quick! I'm stuffed!" Mrs. Aster laughed.

"Okay, follow after me!" Tooth cheerily replied, hopping into her car and speeding off with Mrs. Aster behind her, one destination in mind.

After a good bit of driving, Tooth pulled up in front of Anna's diner, the open sign shining brightly. Tooth excitedly got out of her car and lead Mrs. Aster inside. Tooth said hello to Anna when they entered, and soon there food had been ordered and placed in front of them.

"My, this is delicious!" Mrs. Aster gleamed as she bit into her small sandwich. Tooth nodded enthusiastically, sipping on some water. When Anna came back for the check, Mrs. Aster questioned, "Dear girl, do you think you could do us a big favor and cook up some food for my son Bunnymund's eighteenth birthday? I'll pay up and full, and I only need it next week."

Anna, a bit taken aback by the suddenness of Mrs. Aster, stuttered, "Uhm.. Y-yes, I think I can make that work... I don't normally cater, but so long as it isn't too big an order I believe that's okay."

"Great!" Mrs. Aster happily exclaimed, hopping out of her seat to make the arrangements with Annelida. Tooth slowly got up from her seat, waiting quietly for Mrs. Aster to finish before she walked outside into the afternoon air.

"Anything you'd like to do?" Mrs. Aster inquired, adding, "I don't think I have much left, nothing I can't do by myself, anyways."

Tooth thought over everything in her head before replying, "Nope, I think we're done! It was great seeing you, Mrs. Aster!" The two hugged before heading to their separate cars and getting in. As Tooth drove home, she couldn't help but feel excited for Bunny's birthday. It wasn't supposed to be an over the top party, but Tooth just felt as if something big was going to happen.

* * *

Jack stood waiting around his house, bored. He was dressed in casual clothing, jeans and a shirt, and kept glancing at the clock every few minutes, waiting for a good time to leave. He was supposed to be picking Tooth up and driving to the field that they had rented out. Rashmi had been called into work, leaving Tooth without a car, so she had asked Pitch, but he wasn't able to come until later, around the time Bunny's mom was taking Bun out to the field. Nightlight and Katherine had gotten up extra early to go ahead and get to the field and begin working on setting up. Tooth had to get there a little bit early to make sure everything was prepared correctly, and Jack had been her only choice left.

Jack decided to get into his car and wait. He sifted through radio channels, trying to find something good as he bided his time. After a few more minutes of strained waiting, Jack backed out of his driveway and made his way towards Tooth's house. For some reason he was very unlike himself, uncontrollably anxious. He tried to hold back his shaking hands as he parked in Tooth's driveway, tried to hide drips of sweat on his skin as she quietly entered the car without a word to him. It had been like this for a while now, the tensions being so strong they could hardly choke out a word to one another. Jack wondered if Tooth hated it as much as he did, if she felt as miserable as he did.

After a couple minutes of awkward silence, Jack tried to make small talk, coughing out, "So, just to make sure, no presents? At all?"

Tooth's eyes shot open at Jack's voice, and it took her a moment to respond in a small voice, "Y-yeah. This party cost a good bit and Mrs. Aster said she already got him a good amount of presents, so his birthday present from all of us is this."

Jack nodded, soaking up her words. It was nice to hear her voice aimed at him for the first time in a while, even though it was at a whisper. Wondering if he should say anything else, the silence began to build again, and stayed all the way to the field. Jack parked his car and Tooth hopped out quickly, racing towards the couple of set up tents in order to make sure everything was okay. Jack slowly got out after Tooth, running his formulated plans over and over through his head, trying to give him confidence and assurance.

"Hey Nightlight!" Jack called as he walked towards one of the small tents. Nightlight shot his head up from carrying over a table, a grin bursting across his face when he saw who it was.

"Hey, Jack! Didn't know you were coming so early!" Nightlight replied as he placed the table underneath a tent, then turning back around to get more supplies.

"Oh, yeah, well Tooth needed a ride here so she could help set up." Jack explained, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Mm hmm.. say, could you give me a hand?" Nightlight lifted up a large tin pot that was filled to the brim with ice, "can you take this over to the table and grab some of the drinks, and just start stuffing them in there to keep them cool?"

Jack nodded, taking the heavy bin over to the table and placing it down. He walked back over to Nightlight, who was taking out some sodas and water bottles. Jack leaned down next to Nightlight, dragging out the rest to take to the ice bin.

"Thanks," breathed Nightlight as he scooped his own share up and started making his way back to the table. He began to help Jack, putting random drinks into the ice to cool. Before long, their silent work was broken by Nightlight mumbling, "So, you and Tooth, huh? What's going on there?"

Jack froze up on the spot, just for a second, but Nightlight had noticed. Breathing out, Jack tried to calmly play dumb, "Me and Tooth? There's nothing going on, why?"

Nightlight turned his head towards Jack, giving him a sarcastic 'really' look before continuing, "Jack, I'm not stupid. The others must be in la la land to not be able to see something's wrong with you two. You've been acting.. I dunno, weirder, more hesitant.. kind of like you're in a shell. Did something happen?"

Jack silently breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought Nightlight had found out about the kiss somehow, but he was still in the dark. Still, Nightlight's prying could get him in trouble, so he quickly covered up, "No, me and Tooth, we've just.. We've ah, grown apart, that's all." Jack thought about just how far apart they were now, if only he knew.

Nightlight nodded his head, still suspicious. "Okay, if you say so..." he shrugged, looking down at his feet before adding, almost to himself, "It just seems like, to me, you two were pretty close beforehand and you don't just 'grow apart' so quickly.."

Jack quickly placed the last of his bottles into the ice. Patting Nightlight on the back, he made a quick excuse to leave, turning on his heel towards one of the other two tents. He tried to forget about it as he looked for something to help out with, anything to take his mind off of Tooth.

"Jack!" a rich voice called him over. He looked around for its owner and found Annelida under the biggest tent in the clearing. She smiled warmly, beckoning him over, and Jack heartily obliged.

"Hey, Anna! I didn't know you were coming." Jack breathed, a smile on his face.

Anna chuckled and replied, "I didn't know until about a week ago, Mrs. Aster asked me to cater for your party and I was happy to help." Jack smiled, quickly getting sucked into conversation with the young woman, laughing and joking as he helped her set up the food.

Bunny was supposed to be arriving any minute now, and Tooth kept glancing around for any sign of his or Mrs. Aster's car. Everything was nearly set up, even the goal posts they had asked for were there. Excited, Tooth glanced around, hoping that they would be coming soon. Almost everyone was there, their entire group from lunch and some soccer friends of Bunny's that Tooth had invited, along with Jamie and a few of his friends, since Tooth thought they would enjoy it. They milled about, unsure of where to start since Bunny wasn't there.

Suddenly, a car came zooming down the road, quickly turning into the parking lot on the edge of the field. Tooth, excited, yelled out to the small throng of people, "Hey guys! Bunny's here!" They began to gather more towards the entrance to the field as Mrs. Aster parked the car before quickly hopping out.

"Happy Birthday, hon!" She chimed, slamming the car door behind her and excitedly whisking around to Bunny's side. He slowly stepped out of the car, looking with happy awe at the tents, decorations, and goal posts. Smiling, he wrapped his mother in a warm embrace before walking towards the field, a chorus of "Happy Birthday" and "Happy Easter" greeting his ears.

"Do you like it?" Tooth grinned as Bunny came towards her, "Mrs. Aster and I planned it all out, we've got a bunch of activities, food, drinks, and - oof!" Tooth was cut off by a bone crushing hug from Bunny. A couple of whoops and dog whistles came from Bunny's soccer friends, but Tooth just shook it off with a playful roll of her eyes.

As Bunny backed away from their embrace, he clapped his hands together happily. "So," he smiled, "where do we start?"

Tooth giggled, grabbing his hand and racing off. Mrs. Aster had planned some activities, silly but enjoyable and time consuming things that Tooth and Bunny got caught up in, the others in the group following their lead. Soon it went from activities to food, everyone enjoying Anna's amazing cooking, and from there back onto the field for some soccer. Tooth stayed behind, not wanting to trip over the guys as she made meager attempts to get the ball. Tooth couldn't help but notice Jack, who was hovering near Annelida's tent, talking happily and bursting into laughter. He hadn't participated in many of the activities that day, being absorbed in conversation with furrowed her brow as a strange feeling arose in her chest. What was this? She tried to shake it off, instead calling out, "Hey! Guys! Come on, gather around!" Tooth's group quickly walked towards her, and Bunny's soccer friends stopped playing on the field to join in.

"The owners of this field were nice enough to make an egg hunt on the far end of the field. Everyone, we have bags and buckets in that tent over there, so gather them up, and the person who gets the most eggs in oh, let's say 30 minutes, wins a prize!" Tooth's enthusiasm got everyone to join in, even though they felt a bit silly hunting for eggs. As Tooth turned, she saw Jack, still talking to Anna, and looking a bit reluctant to join in the egg hunt. Tooth determinedly took two buckets from the tent and marched over to Jack, eyes blazing.

"Come on, Jack! You've gotta join in, don't you want to win the prize?" Tooth smiled, dangling a bucket in front of him. A shy, crooked smile flashed across his face as Tooth's teasing tone. Tooth couldn't help but feel triumphant at the glint in his eyes, something she hadn't noticed when he was talking to Annelida.

"Sorry Anna, I think if I don't do this she'll bite my head off." Jack laughed as he sidled over next to Tooth.

"No problems, it was nice catching up. See ya, Tooth." she smiled warmly, and Tooth smiled back, grabbing Jack and walking off.

"So, what were you two talking about back there?" Tooth tried to place the question casually, even though her insides were burning with wanting to know the answer. She peered over to look at Jack, wondering if she could get any clues from his expression. When she looked, he was smiling simply, as if remembering an old joke, but staring fondly at Tooth. His eyes shot open the tiniest bit when she noticed and he glanced away, trying to avert eye contact, as Tooth suppressed a giggle.

"Well, you know, just learning more about each other... apparently she's having a bit of a rough time with her boyfriend, I was giving her some advice, even though I'm honestly terrible at it. We were mostly just making small talk and jokes, though." Jack eyed Tooth, wondering why she asked, but smiling all the same. It felt good to have a decent conversation with Tooth, and it seemed that for a moment Tooth had let her boundaries fall.

Tooth relaxed, and though she didn't understand it, a sense of relief came washing over her. She felt terrible about before then when she had seen Anna and Jack.. no, what way of thinking was that? Tooth shook her head and kept walking, side by side with him. She hardly recognized this was the first time they had been really close in a while.

The neared the edge of the field, and it seemed that Bunny along with the others were getting ahead. At the edges of each field, almost like a thick wall, was a forest of green, flowering trees. There were parts spaced close together and other were farther apart, and a small opening beckoned Tooth and Jack inside.

"They hid the eggs.. in here?" Jack looked a bit dubious at the prospect of eggs being hidden in the forest.

Tooth nodded, explaining, "Well, there isn't much place to hide them in a field, they would just be all sprawled in the grass. I'm sure it doesn't go deep in! Come on, I doubt I'll find Bunny again, so you and me can pair up to get more at once!" she smiled, and Jack happily obliged as they walked into the forest together.

It was bright and shining in the forest, and the trees threw a nice shade upon the ground. Jack and Tooth looked around, but most of the eggs in the front of the forest were most likely taken. They saw a couple of kids running or walking through the trees, looking for anything. "We need to go farther in!" Tooth exclaimed, dragging Jack into the heart of the forest.

"I don't think.. they'll be in here..." Jack said uncertainly, glancing around. Suddenly he saw a bright red in the sea of green forest and went towards it, grabbing an egg out of the nook of a branch.

As Jack turned around, Tooth smiled, a bit smug, before replying, "I asked the guy to hide them _really _good, and to go as far in as they could, to make it a challenge." She glanced around, looking for more eggs, and soon they started to spot some in different trees, nesting on the ground, or hiding in bushes on the ground. They had a good little pile when they realized they were deep into the forest.

Tooth glanced down at her watch. "Only 10 minutes left," she chirped, looking proud. She had enjoyed talking with Jack like it was a normal day, and it felt that for now the tension had melted away, something she was happy to escape from.

Jack walked behind her, coming to rest a hand on her shoulder without Tooth flinching away. He looked around for any more eggs they hadn't spotted, then turned towards a fallen tree, jumping up on the large, knotted stem and sitting down, enjoying the sunlight. He turned around, smiling as he called, "C'mon, sit down, we've got a few more minutes before we need to head back."

Tooth walked forwards, sitting down on the stem next to Jack and leaning on a large protruding branch. Her violet eyes shined with comfort as they sat together in near silence, the rustling of the trees and chirping of birds, along with the occasional triumphant yell of a far off person. Jack didn't really enjoy the summer, it was too hot to do much of anything, but the mild springtime was pleasant, and sitting next to Tooth certainly helped. Suddenly, Jack remembered what his father had said. It was so pleasant out and Tooth looked so nice in her outfit, he couldn't help but blurt out, "Hey, Tooth.."

Tooth perked up, her eyes falling away from a ladybug she had been watching to rest on Jack's eyes. "Yeah?" she asked, curiosity visible as she leaned towards him.

"Uh.." The words nearly died in Jack's throat. Was he really going to put his father's advice into words, right here, right now? He could easily make an excuse and Tooth would never even know. Instead, he coughed, and the words began to flow forth once again, almost without him being able to stop, "Tooth.. you know I really like you, don't you? I mean, I don't want to make it awkward or anything, but.. I really do, and these past couple of weeks have been kind of hard without speaking to you much." He sat in awkward silence as Tooth digested his words, all the while silently hoping she would respond soon, say _something _back to him.

"I.. well honestly, I wasn't sure." Tooth said finally, hardly daring to meet Jack's eyes. She continued, "When you.. when you kissed me, I wasn't sure if that was because you liked me, or if it was just in the moment.. Oh, Jack, I guess I must've know you liked me for a while but was trying to deny it."

Jack couldn't help but feel surprised and a bit stung by Tooth's words. He thought she had known all along! He tried to look her in the eyes, but she was obviously not wanting to make eye contact. He rubbed the rough bark underneath his fingers before questioning, "And you?"

Tooth wrapped her arms around the large branch that was sticking out from the dead tree. She looked down at the ground, shuffling her feet as she leaned into the branch, sighing. After a moment of silence, she responded truthfully, "Jack, I feel like.. I mean, I don't know.. It's so confusing!" she closed her eyes, trying to collect her thoughts, and Jack quietly gave her time. After a few minutes, she stated, "Okay, Jack. I.. Do you remember a few weeks ago in North's class, when you passed me a note? What did it say.. forgiven? Yeah, do you remember that?"

Jack nodded eagerly, remembering how North had taken ahold of the note right before he had been able to read it. Seeing Jack's response, Tooth continued, "Well, you see.. I was glad at the time that you didn't have a chance to read it. No, nothing bad," she shook her head when Jack's eyes widened with dismay, "I was going to say.. well, I wrote down.. I wrote down that you weren't forgiven, because I didn't see any reason for you to have to ask for forgiveness."

Jack soaked in the words hungrily. Tooth had never been mad about the kiss? She wasn't mad because of what he had done? It seemed like a thousand pounds had been lifted off of his chest, he wanted to laugh out loud, but he knew Tooth still had something to say. A brilliant red was resting in her cheeks, and as she spoke it looked as if her cheeks were ready to burst from embarrassment.

"Jack, the thing is... I got scared, and I holed up. I didn't know what to think, I'm still not sure, but.. Jack, I do like you too, in a not so friendly way. I've had a lot of time to think about it since then, and.. oh, Jack, but Bunny... I'm dating him, I like him too, I can't just run off with someone else, that would be terrible.. Jack, I'm so sorry..."

Jack had hardly heard Tooth. She _liked _him? It wasn't just him fawning over some girl who already had a boyfriend! She liked him back, but the only thing in between them wasn't tension, not anymore, it was _Bunny. _As long as he knew Tooth liked him, he saw he had a fighting chance. Trying to hide his grin, he stepped off of the tree stem, holding out a hand to Tooth in order to help her off. She obliged, taking his hand in hers and lightly jumping off the large, dead tree.

"Oh shoot!" she proclaimed, looking down at her watch. They were late by a few minutes! "Come on, we have to get back!" Tooth grabbed Jack's hand, and they quickly raced through the forest, breaking out on the other side into the dimming sunlight of the field.

To Tooth's misfortune, everyone was already back in the covering, and they were all waiting on Tooth and Jack. She raced across the field with Jack in tow, coming to the front of the group, a bit breathless. "Sorry guys, we got a bit sidetracked!" she coughed, and many people in the group broke out in small chuckles. She continued, "Anyways, have you counted up the eggs yet? Who got the most?" She glanced around and saw Jamie Bennett jump out of the crowd, triumphantly holding his bucket of easter eggs. Tooth giggled, stepping over to him and handing him the prize, a small gift card with about $30 on it. He smiled happily at the gift, and Tooth exclaimed, "Okay, guys! It's going to get dark pretty soon, so if you want to start heading out then that's fine! Anyone who can stay and help put up stuff would be really helpful!"

Most everyone stayed behind, helping put away tents and tables and loading them into the bins that had been given to them by the company. They were the company's property, and someone would come to pick up the supplies in the morning. By the time they were finished, nearly everyone was sweaty and tired. Many began to say a last goodbye or happy birthday to Bunny before leaving, until only their small group was left.

"Hey, mate, can I speak with you for a moment?" Bunny smiled down at Jack, clapping him on the shoulder. After a second of confusion, Jack agreed, eyes narrowing in suspicion. Bunny steered him a few steps away from Tooth and the others, acting as if they were having a casual chat.

"So, what were you and Tooth up to in the forest earlier?" Bunny asked casually, eyeing the other. Jack was at first confused as he processed the words, then the realization of what Bunny was asking dawned on him. He nearly laughed out loud when he understood, shaking his head but still defensive.

He retorted, "Me and Tooth, huh? Come on, Bun, we were hunting for eggs and lost track of time." Jack rolled his eyes, turning around to walk back towards the group, but was stopped when Bunny's hand grabbed his shoulder. He wheeled around, a shot of anger running through his eyes.

"Look, Frost, I'm not blind," Bunny sneered, "something's up with you and Tooth. You've been acting weird lately, and then today you disappear for a while, and it isn't like Tooth to just 'lose track of time'. Now spill." Bunny was bigger then Jack, and glared down at him, his temper already getting the better of him.

Jack was fed up with it. He roughly pushed Bunny's hand off of his shoulder, sarcastically replying, "Oh, jealous are we, Cottontail? Look, it isn't your problem, so don't go butting in where you aren't wanted."

Bunny clenched his fists in anger. Whatever he thought was going on with them, Jack's reaction certainly hadn't helped. He threatened Jack, "Stay away from Tooth, Jack. She's been shut up the past few weeks and I know you're behind it. If you hurt her, I swear..."

"Woah, so when did you start calling the shots, huh? I told you, it isn't any of your business, so stay the hell away from me." Jack pushed his hands against Bunny's chest, causing Bunny to step back a couple of spaces. He clenched and unclenched his fists, temple throbbing, ready to fight.

"Hey, you guys okay?" Tooth looked over from the group, stepping towards Jack and Bunny. Nervousness flitted through her eyes as she watched some of the anger ebb from Jack's eyes. Nightlight, Katherine, and Pitch all walked behind Tooth, unsure of what was happening.

Jack turned around towards Bunny, who look like he was about to start throwing punches. Jack said heatedly, "I don't know, are we, kangaroo?"

Bunny had had enough insults. He turned towards Jack, hatred burning through his eyes, and threw a strong blow at the him. Jack just barely ducked down, Bunny's punch only hitting air. "I'm tired of your _shit, _Frost!" Bunny yelled, swinging another blow, which also missed Jack. Angry, Jack retorted with another push to Bunny's chest, which sent him rocketing backwards. Bunny just barely regained his balance before Jack's fist connected with the side of his face. The two boys began to fight angrily, all to Tooth's dismay.

"Guys... _Guys! _Stop! _STOP!" _Tooth yelled upon deaf ears. Nightlight and Pitch rushed forward, aiming to pull the two apart. Pitch grabbed Jack from behind, dodging a fist as he forced Jack's hands behind his back. Nightlight had less luck, coming away with a black eye when Bunny mistook him for Jack. After the boys had been pulled apart, there were visible bruises on either of their faces.

Tooth was completely distraught and unsure of what to do. Why was Bunny.. why were they _both _acting so.. so... _typical?!_ She angrily exclaimed, "What is wrong with you two?! You were getting along just two minutes ago!" As Bunny and Jack tried to fumble for words, apologies, anything to calm Tooth, she shook her head in anger. "I can't believe you two. Someone, Pitch, take me _home._" she said, turning away from the two of them. Pitch quickly left Jack's side, walking along with Tooth to his car.

"Here, let me help you." He opened the car door for her, and she quietly entered, mumbling a small thanks. After Tooth entered, Pitch went to the other side, opening the door and getting in himself before driving off. As he went down the road towards Tooth's house, he could hear small sniffles coming from her. Tooth's head was tucked away, her hands covering it, and Pitch noticed a few glistening tears. Unsure of what to say, he silently placed a large hand on Tooth's shoulder, rubbing gently.

"Pitch, I'm sorry, but.. just, just stop." Tooth sniffled from her seat, bringing her knees up to her face. Understanding the caution in her voice, he backed away instead putting both hands on his wheel as questions began to form in his head. Why had Bunny and Jack been fighting? Why was Tooth so upset over it? A million questions flew by as he sat in silence next to her.

After a few minutes, they finally pulled up to Tooth's house. Tooth hiccuped out a small thanks and goodbye, running into her house and up the stairs to her room. She almost regretted telling Jack anything, not if she had known it was going to end up like this. Tooth had a dreading feeling this was only the beginning, and tired from Bunny, Jack, and all of her work, she fell asleep on her bed, hot tears still streaming down her face.

* * *

**I hope you liked the chapter, please leave a review, I'm really open to constructive criticism, or if you want to see a character in the story more that I haven't been putting in, please let me know!**

**Again, a big thank you to all of the readers uwu I love you guys!**


	13. Holding Ground

**I apologize for the wait!**

**I've been kind of busy entering summer and I finally made some time to write this. I was planning on posting it a few days ago, but I had some writer's block and was only recently able to pull through it.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter, a big decision is about to be made!**

* * *

Jack watched as Pitch's car drove off with Tooth inside, regret washing over his eyes as he lost sight of the car's lights. His anger was starting to ebb as the cuts and bruises from fighting Bunny began to sting, and Jack could feel a cruel bump on the side of his head forming from where he had been punched. Turning around, Jack noticed Bunny was in the same shape as he was, and he couldn't help but smile to himself at the fact that he had given Bunny as much a beating as he had received. Jack shoved past Bunny gruffly, walking over to Nightlight, who was holding a hand over one of his eyes.

"You alright? What happened?" Jack looked down, eyebrows furrowed with concern. Nightlight straightened up, trying to shrug it off as he removed his hand away. His eye was closed from swelling and already beginning to take on a nasty shade of purple. Jack tried to hold back a gasp at the sight of his friend, wondering what had happened during their fight.

"Don't worry, it's nothing," Nightlight assured him, "I was just trying to get Bunny away from you and he accidentally punched me, no big deal." He gave a weak smile, not wanting for Jack and Bunny to start fighting again.

Another wave of anger rushed through Jack, but instead of doing something reckless, he patted Nightlight on the back, stating, "Well, lets get some ice. There's a cooler over by some of the supplies and I think there might be some in it." They began to walk towards the end of the field where the cooler was when a voice rang out behind them.

"Come on, Frost, now you're trying to be the good guy after all of that? You've got to be joking!" Bunny nearly laughed in his anger, spitting the words out like venom, "What, so you're just going to turn your back and pretend nothing happened? Oh don't worry _mate, _I'll find out what happened sooner or later, and you're going to get what you deserve."

Jack turned back around, considering what to yell back at Bunny to make him just _shut up. _Glaring at Bunny, Jack realized that fighting wasn't what Tooth would want of him. If he was going to have an advantage over Bunny, he was going to do it without getting bruised and cut. He calmly stated, "Come on, Nightlight, let's go find that ice." Spinning on his heel, he left Bunnymund to simmer in his rage behind them.

Katherine, who had been watching the scene play out next to Tooth before she had left, was already beside Nightlight, looking over his injury. They quietly walked to the cooler, scooping out some ice and resting it on sore spots. Jack could hear Bunny's angry grumbling as he packed up, leaving in a trail of dust from his car. Jack tried to not pay him any attention, instead focusing on calming down as he put cold ice against his head. Katherine was quietly taking care of Nightlight, making sure he didn't touch his sore eye.

"So, you gonna explain to us what that was?" Nightlight asked after a few minutes, leaning towards Jack with curiosity visible in his eyes.

Jack sighed, bringing his head down as a small smirk dashed across his mouth. Trying to think of some sort of explanation, he replied, "Well, if you couldn't tell, it's about Tooth."

Nightlight laughed quietly, answering, "Yeah, I think we could all tell. So what exactly does it have to do with Tooth? You kind of owe me an explanation, for this at least," he pointed towards his eye, which was already completely purple and turning darker by the minute.

Jack rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly before saying, "Well, uh.. He thinks that Tooth and I sort of have a thing. Either that, or something is going on, and it's making Tooth upset."

"Well, what _has_ been going on?" Katherine piped up. She had been sitting next to Nightlight in total silence, almost as if she was daydreaming, but she had been paying attention to the entire conversation. She turned her eyes on Jack, adding, "_Obviously _you aren't telling us something. Come on Jack, now's the time to spit it out. Nightlight and I definitely aren't going to judge you." Nightlight nodded at Katherine's statement, giving Jack a reassuring smile.

Jack coughed, unsure of what to say. He knew Katherine and Nightlight would never hurt him, they were some of the nicest people he knew, but Jack would hate for them to think differently of him. Sighing, and seeing no way out, Jack began to explain exactly what had happened from the start. He told them about going to Anna's diner, about what had happened to Emma for Jack to get sent out here, and he told them about the kiss. Jack revealed everything before them with grim determination up to Bunny's birthday. Nightlight and Katherine kept completely in silence, not uttering a word the entire time, which made Jack a little anxious. As he finished relaying to them all of the past events, he realized that Nightlight and Katherine might agree with him, and he couldn't help but get his hopes up.

"Wow.." Nightlight whistled after Jack had finished, lacing his fingers together, "Well I knew there was something, but I didn't think it was going to be _that.._" He looked over to Katherine, not really knowing what to say.

Katherine picked up, "Well what are you going to do, Jack? Obviously you both like each other, but Bunny's still here and he's not exactly just going to go away."

Jack sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with two fingers. He closed his eyes, replying, "I.. I don't know what I'm going to do, to be honest. You guys know this isn't like me, I don't usually fawn over girls, but Tooth.. I know Bunny is still Tooth's girlfriend, and I just have to hope that she decides who is better for her."

"Jack, I'm not one to pick sides," Nightlight stated, "but Tooth has been with Bunny for a while now, and if she breaks up with him then he's not going to go down silently. Now, Bunny is my friend, too, and I don't want either of you getting hurt. Just, whatever happens, can you try to be fair? Tooth is sensitive, she's not a fan of any form of fighting, and she'll hole up again."

Katherine nodded in agreement with Nightlight, continuing, "Jack, honestly, I'm rooting for you. Bunny's a nice guy, but he's quick tempered and doesn't think before he speaks. Tooth needs someone like you, you should see how she lights up around you, but please Jack, be careful with Bunny. He's not afraid to fight, you know that by now."

Jack smiled at their support, along with Katherine's small comment about Tooth. So he wasn't alone after all, even they could tell Tooth liked him. Sighing, he commented, "Well, thanks you two. I guess we'll just see how it plays out. For now, though, it's getting late and we still have school tomorrow." He pushed himself up, saying some last goodbyes to Nightlight and Katherine before heading out.

Jack walked to his car and plopped into the seat, shaking his head to keep himself awake. It had been a long day and he was more than ready to get home. As he drove back, he couldn't help but think on what Tooth had said. No matter how tired Jack was, a rush of nervous excitement coursed through him when he thought of their conversation. _She likes me! _he repeated over and over in his head, grinning from ear to ear. The evening hadn't gone nearly as well as Jack had hoped, especially since Bunny had decided to pick a fight, but at least Jack had been able to get the truth out of Tooth. Smiling, Jack seemed to forget about his injuries as he drove, until he parked in front of his house. What would his dad say if he saw Jack like this? He didn't want to have to explain the whole situation to his dad right now, and Jack hoped he had gone to bed early as he quietly opened the front door. It was dark inside the house, and Jack tiptoed his way to the stairs, feeling guilty for being out so late. As he was rounding the corner to go up the stairs, his back was flooded with light.

"Son, did you just get home?" Mr. Moon's deep voice called from behind him.

Jack froze up, his hand on the wall and his face hidden from his dad's wandering eyes. Hopefully, Mr. Moon could only see some small bruises on his knuckles, and some dirt on his clothes, but none of the more serious injuries. Jack choked out a reply, "Uhm... yeah, we ended kind of late and ah.. well, I'm pretty tired, I'm probably just going to go to bed.." he began to walk up the stairs when his dad stopped him once again.

"How did it go? The party?" and then, with a slight hesitation, "Was Tooth there?"

Jack shut his eyes. He _really _did not want to get into this right now. Jack answered awkwardly, "Yeah, of course she was. And it went fine, just fine... I should really get to bed..."

"Oh, yes, of course. Sorry, I was just doing some reading when I must have dozed off and heard you come in. Goodnight, Jack. And, ah, I hope everything went well. With Tooth, I mean."

"Thanks, dad. It did." Jack breathed before jumping up the stairs to his room. That had been _close. _Thankfully, his dad hadn't seen anything serious, so Jack was safe for now. He quickly peeled off his clothes, stepping into the cold shower for a quick wash. After he was finished, he dressed and got into his bed, quickly falling asleep.

* * *

Tooth's alarm went off with a buzz, shocking her out of sleep. She frantically searched for the noise, slapping the snooze button before sinking back into the covers. Oh great, she thought, another Monday. Closing her eyes, she tried to ignore the light shining in from outside, when suddenly everything that had happened last night hit her like an arrow through the chest. Tooth jumped up from her bed, suddenly awake, as the fight, Bunny, and Jack all came rushing back to her. Breathing heavily, Tooth pulled her knees up to her chest, laying her head down on them. What was she going to _do? _Bunny was going to be picking her up this morning, and obviously he was going to want an explanation! Running a hand over her eyes, Tooth struggled out of bed. She didn't know what was going to happen, but she couldn't hole up again. She had been tired of the tension between her and Jack, and she didn't want anything like that to come up again. Not with Jack, and not with Bunny, either.

Tooth quickly got ready, taking a shower and packing her things for school before stepping down the stairs into the kitchen. Making a small breakfast, Tooth began to grow anxious, despite her best efforts to stay calm. As she waited for Bunny, Tooth realized she had forgotten her phone upstairs. She ran upstairs to go grab it, and from the window in her room she could see Bunny's car pull up into the drive way. Taking the phone from her room, she raced back downstairs, grabbing her backpack and walking out the door.

Tooth quietly entered Bunny's car, neither of them saying a word to one another. Tooth didn't want to be the first one to talk, so she would wait for Bunny to say something first. As he backed out of the driveway, Tooth wondered if he was giving her the cold shoulder, until he asked gruffly, "How're you doing?"

Tooth glanced over at Bunny, searching for anything that would tell her what he was feeling right now. "I'm... good. Are you okay, Bunnymund?" her eyes raked across the bruises, cuts, and bumps on his skin. He had a deep purple bruise where Jack had punched him in the jaw, and Tooth couldn't help but feel anxious when she saw his knuckles were still a shade of red, tiny bits of skin peeled off from the force of his blows. If Bunny was in this shape, how bad was Jack?

"I'm, well, not great actually." Bunny sighed, looking exasperated. After a moment of quietness, Bunny pulled up to a stop light and leaned over to Tooth. "I'm so sorry, Tooth. And I mean it." He placed a hand on her knee, looking regretful.

"I'm sorry that it happened at your party, on your birthday." Tooth responded, taking his hand in both of hers before letting it go.

Bunny turned back towards the street as the light turned green, advancing closer to the school. "It's okay," he replied, "It's not your fault, it was ruddy Jack Frost..." His knuckles whitened on the steering wheel in anger as he spoke.

"Bunny," Tooth retaliated, "It wasn't entirely Jack's fault! You were the one who asked to talk to him first, anyways." After a pause, she hesitantly added, "What _did _you two talk about?"

Bunny looked over at Tooth in disbelief. Was _she _trying to make Jack look like the good guy as well? Who hadn't Jack persuaded to be on his side! Bunny, frustrated, explained to Tooth, "I just wanted to know why you two were out in the forest, is all. I couldn't help but wonder." Tooth squinted her eyes, and Bunny continued, "and you have to admit, Tooth, you've been acting a little.. weird lately. With Jack, I mean. So I asked Jack, but he wouldn't tell me, and he got defensive. I told him to stay away from you, because I don't want him hurting you, Tooth, and he got mad." Bunny tried to explain this to make it seem like it was perfectly normal, hoping to persuade Tooth into seeing the truth and telling him what he wanted to know. As he parked in front of the school, he turned his eyes on her innocently, asking, "So, what have you two been doing?"

Tooth looked down at her feet with eyebrows furrowed in almost confusion. Her small hands were wrapped in fists at her side as she whispered, "You told Jack to stay away from me?" Tooth tilted her head towards Bunny, and a small flash of anger, almost unrecognizable on her usually cheery face, flitted through her eyes. She continued, "Bunny, I know you do what you can for me, and I know you don't want me getting hurt, but you do _not _make my decisions for me, _especially _when it comes to friends. I think I can deal with Jack Frost." Tooth grabbed her backpack up from the floor of the car, ready to get out.

"Wait! Tooth, wait. I know you can make your own decisions, but Frost is not a nice guy, and I don't think you should stick around him! You should know that by now, I don't know what happened between you two, but you didn't talk to him for a good long while. And now you're defending him?" he scoffed, "when I have a reason to want to know what is going on? Please, Tooth, just... stop being around Jack. I don't like him, and I think it was a bad choice to invite him in the group. You'll see, in time."

Tooth opened her car door, stepping out into the warm air. She turned around one last time to shoot Bunny a vicious look. "You're too quick to judge, Bunny. And as I said before, you don't make my decisions." she closed the car door, walking into school. Well, Tooth thought to herself, that really hadn't gone as expected. She couldn't help but be angry with Bunny though! She wouldn't stand for anyone, not just Bunny, telling her who she could and couldn't be friends with. Bunny had some warped vision of Jack in his mind, when Tooth and the others could tell that he really was sweet. Maybe he didn't always make the best decisions, but Tooth really didn't see Bunny's sense behind the matter. Frustrated and tired, Tooth tried to shake it off, walking to her locker for morning classes.

While Tooth was on her way to her first class, she spotted Katherine in the hallway, who immediately came trotting over to Tooth's side. "Hey Tooth!" Katherine breathed as she came closer, holding a small stack of books in her hands.

"Hey Katherine," Tooth replied, not feeling her usually bouncy self, "sorry about last night."

"Oh, come on, Tooth, it isn't your fault." Katherine smiled, trying to get a grin out of her friend. As they kept walking towards class, Katherine's eyebrows furrowed, and she couldn't help but ask, "you alright, Tooth?"

Tooth sighed, closing her eyes. After a second, she nodded, looking back up at Katherine. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she answered, "I'm just a little upset about last night, is all."

"Mmm." Katherine shook her head, trying to think of something to say. "Well, Jack seemed pretty upset about it, too. He was really worried about you." Katherine brushed back a strand of auburn brown hair, seeing if there was any reaction from Tooth.

Tooth, even though she tried to conceal it, felt a faint smile flicker across her lips. Looking back into Katherine's eyes, she replied, "Thanks, Katherine. I just.. I had a little spat with Bunny in the car, but I'm sure everything is going to be all right. He's just acting weird lately, and.. well, you probably don't want to hear it. Anyways, I've got to get to class, but again, thanks." she smiled at Katherine before heading down a separate hallway into her classroom. Had Jack really been worried? she wondered as she sat down. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts as the bell rang for class.

Tooth struggled through her morning classes at a slow speed, until finally the bell rang for lunch. Tooth absentmindedly gathered her things, walking to the lunchroom without a thought. As she placed her stuff down on the table and quietly began to eat, a thought crossed her mind. This is the first time Bunny and Jack would see each other after last night. Tooth nearly choked on her sandwich as she began to think about it. What could possibly happen? They weren't going to start a fight in the middle of the lunchroom... at least Tooth hoped that they wouldn't...

Nightlight and Katherine walked in from their classes, sitting next to Tooth and quietly chatting as Tooth listened in silence. Bunny came in next, sitting next to her as usual. Tooth could tell he was watching her closely, waiting for a chance to say the same 'I'm sorry' to her as before. Tooth didn't say anything to him, instead just staying silent. Pitch walked in, also quiet, and it felt like a layer of ice had spread throughout the entire table. Everyone was waiting for one more person to show up.

Tooth heard the squeak of sneakers next to her, and lifted a violet eye to look straight into Jack's face. He was bruised, and had a bump on the side of his head, but he looked about the same as Bunny did. Sighing with relief that he wasn't completely battered, she turned back to the table.

"What do you think you're doing, Frost?" Bunny growled from his seat as he ate. His head was bent over his food, but he was still able to see Jack out of the corner of his eye.

Jack replied just as coldly, with a sarcastic, biting tone, "I'm sitting down, as usual. Unless you've got a problem with that, Cottontail?"

Bunny brought his head up from his food to look Jack in the eye, turning the front half of his body toward the lean boy. "Yeah, actually, I do," he sneered, "In fact, I don't want you sitting at this table at all, Frost. Not ever again. Go somewhere else."

Jack squinted his eyes in anger, but before he could return a biting remark, Tooth stood up from her seat. After giving a scornful look to the surprised Bunny, she turned the the equally surprised Jack. "Come on, if Bunny is going to say he doesn't want you here, we'll find somewhere else." Tooth grabbed Jack up by the arm, steering him away from the table, leaving a surprised and angry Bunny behind them.

"Oh, Tooth, I never thought you had it in you to take control like that." Jack said sarcastically, fluttering his eyelashes. Tooth grinned, pushing him with her arm as she walked away from their group. He continued, "So, where are we going?"

Tooth answered, "I was thinking Jamie's table." She had seen the freshmen with his group of friends sitting outside on many of the spring days, and Tooth hoped that they were still there as she steered Jack out into the fresh open air.

Across the small cut of grass were a couple of small tables and benches. Jamie's group was at one of them, laughing together cheerfully. When they saw Jack and Tooth come out into the open, the happily greeted them, offering a seat at their table. Tooth gratefully sat down with Jack at her side, thanking them for the seat.

"So, why did you guys decide to come over here?" Jamie asked.

"There was just a little spat in the lunchroom, we didn't really feel like getting caught in the middle of it, se I decided that Jack and I would come out here." Tooth responded casually, trying to not make a big deal of things. Jack nodded beside her, still a little stunned that Tooth had taken action _against _Bunny. He wondered if something had happened between them that he didn't know about, but he decided not to bring it up.

"Woah, was there a fight?" Jamie leaned over on the table to look in the lunchroom, but nothing it was just the same.

"No fight," Tooth giggled, "thank goodness for that." Turning the conversation over, Tooth and Jack casually chatted with Jamie and his friends. It was nice to talk to their little group, momentarily forgetting about Bunny, who was probably boiling with anger inside the school. Jack sat next to Tooth, who was casually leaning on his shoulder, and everything just seemed to fit for a moment. But the bell rang sooner or later, and as people filed out of the lunchroom to class, Tooth sighed, wishing that they had more time out in the fresh air.

"I guess we should head to North's class." Tooth sighed, stepping out of her seat and grabbing her stuff from the table. Jack followed her lead, and they walked back into the lunchroom, which was the shortest way to get to North's classroom. It was nearly cleared out, and Tooth caught no sign of Bunny as she and Jack stepped in between tables, quietly making their way towards the classroom. They passed through the lunchroom, into the hallway, and from there entered North's class. Tooth separated from Jack, walking to her own seat and quietly sitting down as class began. She didn't pay attention to most of North's lecture, and was still to scared to pass Jack any notes, but by the time class was over, she had only a small number of scribbles she had taken down from North's class. It wasn't like her to just stop paying attention, especially in school, but right now she just couldn't seem to listen to North, let alone her other teachers. As the bell rang, she made her way out into the packed halls of the school, Jack behind her, as they walked towards art.

Stepping into Sandy's classroom, Jack and Tooth placed their stuff down and grabbed some art supplies. They were still working on the project for the end of the semester, where students took pictures of each other's faces and drew them out. Jack and Tooth had swapped pictures, and right now they were in the sketching stage, almost ready to go over it in pen and begin shading.

Jack sat down next to Tooth, pulling out his piece of Tooth's giggling face. He thought it was coming along rather well, and it looked a lot like Tooth herself. Tooth had Jack's picture, and it looked a lot like him. Jack thought Tooth was an amazing artist, and he smiled at her work as he began to draw in Tooth's big, shining eyes. It had been a little awkward while they weren't speaking to each other, to constantly come to class and draw each other's faces. Today, however, as Tooth sat down next to Jack, she joked about his drawing cheerily, and he with hers.

Jack played along with her, but deep down he was boiling with questions about Bunny. He wanted to know what, if anything, had happened between Tooth and Bunny. Was it after he had driven off last night? Maybe he had picked her up this morning and they had had a disagreement? He knew Tooth didn't want to talk about it, she hadn't explained anything when she dragged him out to Jamie's table, but Jack knew something was wrong. No matter how much he wished it, Tooth wouldn't just go on Jack's side, against her own boyfriend.

Jack shook himself out of silent thought, launching back into conversation with Tooth. It almost felt like seeing a friend he hadn't spoken to in years, he wanted to soak up every second of it, and wouldn't let his suspicions get in the way. He was more than happy Tooth was on his side, he was just curious as to what had pulled her in his direction. Leaving it alone, he went back to joking around with Tooth, trying to act as if nothing was on his mind.

Tooth casually played with Jack, trying to ignore the fact that obviously he was thinking about something, and she had a strong feeling she knew just what. It wasn't right of her to be on Jack's side instead of her boyfriend's, it wasn't like her to become angry with Bunny, let alone anyone, like that. And yet.. why did it feel like the right thing to do? Confused, she shoved her thoughts away, trying not to even think of her fight. She knew if Jack brought it up she was going to have to face some stuff as well, and she just didn't want to go through that right now.

Working with Jack by her side finally felt natural again, and before Tooth knew it the bell was ringing for class to get out. Replacing her art supplies, she walked out with Jack into the hallway, making their way towards their lockers. She strolled up to hers, opening it up to take out some supplies and homework. Jack was down the hall from her, packing up as well and making sure he had all of his work. Tooth sighed as she closed her locker's door, knowing that she owed Jack an explanation for randomly going against Bunny. Suddenly, a new thought popped up into her head. Bunny was probably waiting to give Tooth her usual ride home, but she just couldn't deal with another awkward encounter! Biting her lip with worry, she turned to Jack, who was closing his locker behind him. Almost without thinking, Tooth turned towards him, stepping a bit closer as she called out, "Hey, Jack!"

He turned almost immediately, a small grin plastered on his face as he answered, "Yeah, Tooth?" He casually leaned against the lockers as Tooth walked over with tints of red in her cheeks, embarrassed.

"Uh..." she continued, "Well, I sorta, um, had a ride home with Bunny. But after lunch, I kinda don't want to meet up with him just yet, and I was wondering if maybe you could possibly give me a ride?" She looked up at Jack with a sheepish grin, feeling a bit awkward about asking for a ride so late. Jack, on the other hand, happily obliged to Tooth's request. As they were walking through the hallway, Tooth decided that she was going to tell Jack exactly what happened. Jack had a right to know exactly what Bunny thought of him, and that Tooth thought his attempts for her to stay away from Jack were completely ridiculous.

Suddenly, as they were walking to get outside, Tooth realized that she and Jack were not alone. The hairs on the back of her neck seemed to stand up as she turned around, facing whoever had been trailing behind them. Behind her was Pitch, looking sly and cunning with a wicked grin on his face. Even though Tooth was with Jack, for some reason she didn't feel safe. Throughout the weeks Pitch had gotten way worse, trying to be closer to Tooth whenever possible, and it made her shiver with worry. Her mind flashed to last night, when she had asked Pitch for a ride home. Tooth knew she probably shouldn't have asked him of all people, but underneath she probably knew it had stung both Bunny and Jack to watch her leave with someone else. Maybe he was offended by her curtness when he had tried to touch her? Coughing, Tooth let out a small greeting towards Pitch.

"Hello Tooth, Jack," Pitch's eyes blazed with a golden light, and his smile became even wider, "do you mind if I borrow you for a few minutes, Tooth? I need to speak about something.. in private." Pitch cast a wary glance over to Jack before looking back at Tooth. Jack stepped closer to Tooth protectively in turn. He hadn't been on good terms with Pitch since Bunny's soccer game, and right now he was acting more suspicious than usual.

Trying not to gulp visibly, Tooth replied, "Uh, yeah, I suppose. Um, Jack, give me a minute, will you? You can wait by your car, I suppose."

Jack gave a concerned look at Tooth, then one last shot at Pitch before turning and beginning to slowly walk away. He didn't know what Pitch had in store for Tooth, but he certainly didn't like it.

"Come on," Pitch said with a smile, leading Tooth into another empty hallway. Almost everyone was gone from the school now, including many of the teachers, and Tooth couldn't help but feel nervous.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked casually as they slowly walked down the hallway.

"I suppose it's nothing, really," Pitch said, closing his eyes with a look of embarrassment. He shook his head playfully, continuing, "Well you see, I was just thinking about the way you stood up to Bunny at the cafeteria today. It was very kind of you to look out for Jack like that." he turned towards her, a look of admiration in his eyes.

Tooth slowed her pace, thinking about what Pitch had said. "Yeah, I suppose so," she concluded, "though I wasn't really doing it for Jack."

Pitch shrugged as he said, "Either or, you're always so kind, Tooth. Do you remember when we first met? I was a slobbering mess in that trashcan, and you helped me with my books and everything. The very first time I met you, and you were already so nice to me." Pitch stopped suddenly, glancing off as if remembering that day, reliving it right there before his eyes.

"Thanks, Pitch. I was just, ya know, doing what anyone else would've done." Tooth smiled weakly, feeling a bit awkward under Pitch's constant compliments.

"Oh, but that's just it!" Pitch turned with a sudden excitement towards Tooth, grabbing one of her hands in both of his, "others wouldn't have done that! You, Tooth, _you _helped me, and you were always the nicest of them all. The kindest, smartest, and not to mention beautiful as well."

Tooth was suddenly frightened by the excitement in Pitch's eyes. She tried to pull her hand away, but Pitch help firm, stepping closer towards her. He looked longingly down at her hand, continuing with a softer voice, "You know, Toothiana, I was hurt at first last night. When I tried to comfort you, and you pushed me away. It was not very kind, not your usual self, Toothie." Pitch rubbed his thumb over the palm of her hand, and Tooth was becoming more distressed by the second, unsure of what to do with Pitch in this sudden state.

After a moment of silence, Pitch seemed to come out of his thoughts, looking back up into her violet eyes. He stated, "Oh, of course I soon realized to forgive it. When people have been hurt they tend to lash out, but I knew you'd come back around to your usual self. You know, Tooth, you and Jack certainly haven't been seeing eye to eye lately. And now, well, now Bunny's been cast into, or I suppose I should say out of, the mix. I suppose I do sound silly like this," Pitch closed his eyes, laughing to himself in embarrassment, "but I reckon you've known my true intentions for a while now, Toothiana."

Pitch looked up, eyes blazing as he stepped even closer to Tooth, with her trying to back away just as quickly. She could feel a wall of lockers less that a foot away from her, and she knew she was running out of space. Desperate and afraid, Tooth pushed against his chest with her other free hand, exclaiming, "Your _true intentions? _Pitch, I don't know what you're talking about! Let me go, you aren't feeling well!"

Pitch grabbed her other hand like an eagle snatching it's prey, smiling wickedly as he replied, "Oh dear, see, you're still hurt, Tooth. That's why you're saying those things, you pretend not to know, but you do, you do! Think on it, Tooth, and the truth is clear! I'm very well, but maybe you only need some convincing.. yes, that's it, that is just what you need."

Suddenly, Pitch took his hands off of Tooth's, but before she had a chance to do anything he was pressing up closer than ever, pushing his hands on her shoulders somewhat roughly so that Tooth was trapped against the lockers. He grabbed both of her hands in one of his, using the other to keep her pushed against the wall. He began to lean down, and Tooth tried ducking away from his face which was coming ever nearer. She could smell a brutal stench on his breath, his lips were slightly parted as they came towards hers, and Tooth closed her eyes, still trying to fight with all her might, hoping that someone, _anyone _would come and save her..

Suddenly, the load on Tooth was considerably lightened, and her hands were let free. A grunt of pain came from the floor, and Tooth peeked open an eye to see who her savior was.

On the floor in front of her, Pitch was lying down with a hand covering the side of his mouth. His eyes blazed with a cold anger that was completely different from Bunny's, but before he had any time to act another body threw itself on top of Pitch, tackling him at full force before straightening up and delivering quick, angry blows. Her savior was firing swift punches at Pitch, every one of them connecting with a brutal crack. After a few seconds of stunned silence, Tooth could once again feel her heart beating quickly in her chest, staring down at the scene unfolding beneath her. Pitch grabbed the other person by his shoulders, throwing them onto the ground quickly before struggling up. He was bleeding and had many bruises already forming on his face. Pitch turned towards Tooth, struggling with whether or not to go back to her, but the person on the floor stood up, beginning to wind up for another punch. Pitch turned and fled, running down the hallway in an attempt to escape before he was battered again.

As he turned towards her, Tooth caught a glimpse of Jack's concerned face before he ran to her, folding her into a comforting embrace as she began to cry. She wrapped her small hands around Jack's waist, pulling him as close to her as she could as hot tears ran down her cheeks. Jack tightened his grip on her, looking for any signs of harm on Tooth that Pitch might have caused.

"H-he kept talking about how kind I was," she sobbed into Jack's shirt, "And suddenly he tried to force himself on me, a-and I couldn't do anything, oh Jack, I was so scared... he had some idea that I liked him in his head, and he t-tried to kiss me.." a lump caught in Tooth's throat, and she couldn't speak anymore, so she held onto Jack, whispering silent thank you's to him. He bent down, placing his lips on the top of her head in a comforting gesture, rubbing her back and squeezing her tight. He knew Pitch had been up to no good, if only he had gotten Tooth to come with him in the first place...

After a few more minutes, Tooth's tears quieted, and she looked up into Jack's face. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, but she could see the genuine concern reflected in Jack's eyes, worry and guilt washing over them. She leaned up, placing a small kiss at the tip of his nose. Jack stepped back for a mere moment, shocked, before he leaned back down to Tooth, placing a kiss full on her lips. This time, however, Tooth accepted it, leaning back with fervor. Jack's insides couldn't help but fill with delight when he kissed her, knowing it was wrong but feeling right at the same time. Tooth pulled away after a moment, her violet eyes shining as she looked into Jack's, and suddenly she knew what she had to do. Pulling away from Jack, she grabbed his hand in hers. "I think we should go." Tooth whispered.

Jack nodded, and they walked out into the empty parking lot together. Getting into Jack's car, Tooth's head was swimming with emotions and questions, but one stood out more than the rest. "How did you know?" she turned to Jack as he pulled out of school, "to come back for Pitch?"

Jack responded honestly, "I knew something wasn't right when he asked you to walk with him. So, I didn't exactly go to my car. I walked around the halls near where you guys were, and after I didn't see you pass by for a while, I was sure Pitch was up to something. I'm just glad I got there in time, Tooth, I'm so sorry for what he did. If I had gotten there sooner, if I had made you come with me instead, then this never would have happened.."

"No, I think you're wrong. Pitch would have done something, sooner or later. Who knew what he was dreaming up in his head to make him think I liked him more than a friend. I'm just glad you were around this time to stop him, Jack. I don't know how bad it would have gotten if you hadn't been there." Tooth replied, not wanting to think of the possibilities.

Jack sighed, knowing Tooth was right. He still hated that it had to happen to her. They drove in silence for a while, until Jack blurted out a question they were both wondering, "So, what now?"

Tooth knew exactly what he meant, but it took her a while to respond, until they were nearing her house. "I think... I think Bunny deserves the truth, just as much as you do, Jack. I was going to tell you on the way home, but then Pitch.. Anyways, Bunny needs to know. I don't know exactly what is going to happen, but I'm going to invite him over tonight, and I'll call you immediately when it's over and tell you everything. I only need you to be on my side for this, and to know you're okay with me telling Bunny." Tooth looked into Jack's eyes for a sign that it was okay.

"Of course I'm on your side, Tooth," he replied, "I'll always be on your side."

Tooth smiled, comforted by the thought as they pulled up in front of Tooth's house. Jack said one last goodbye, wishing Tooth luck as she stepped out and into her house. As soon as she got inside, she pulled out her phone to Bunny's contact. She entered in a quick message, pressed send, then walked to the kitchen to grab a snack. Her phone flickered behind her, still displaying the message:

_Hey Bunny. Can you come over? It's urgent. We need to talk._

* * *

**Again, I apologize for the wait! I hope you liked the new chapter, please leave a review!**


	14. The Talk

**I apologize for taking so long, I was away at the lake with a friend D: **

**I'm going to be in Orlando for the rest of this week until Wednesday, but I'll try to start writing the next chapter while I'm there!**

**Anyways, enough about my life, please enjoy the new chapter!**

* * *

Tooth made her way out of the kitchen, an apple in hand as she strolled over to her backpack, where her phone was sitting. Looking down, she picked up the small device which was shining brightly from Bunny's reply. It read:

_Sure. I'll be right over._

Sighing, Tooth placed her phone into her back pocket before looping her arm through her backpack, sliding it onto her shoulder as she walked up the stairs to her room. Entering, Tooth tossed her bag onto the floor, not wanting to start on any homework but instead clear her mind. She took a bite out of the apple, wiping her arm across her mouth to get rid of the juice that was dripping down. She turned in a slow circle around her room, not entirely sure of what to do. Bunny didn't live far away, and he could be here at any minute! Tooth took a deep breath, reminding herself to calm down before she could start panicking.

"Okay, okay," Tooth said out loud to herself, "just remember to tell him everything. You've got this, Tooth, don't get scared, don't get scared.." an aching feeling was rising in Tooth's stomach as she sat down on the end of her bed, assuring herself it was going to be all right. She had to do this, for Jack, for _her. _Tooth knew Bunny was going to get mad, but it was frightening to think that for once he was going to be mad at her.

As Tooth thought, her fingers absentmindedly trailed up to her lips, and she caught herself thinking off topic. After Pitch had come at her, when he had forced himself upon her, Jack had attacked without a moment's notice. Tooth had been too scared at the time to really think about it, but Jack had bravely defended her, barreling into Pitch full force and battering him with punches. After Pitch had fled, Tooth hadn't meant to kiss Jack, especially after she had been awkwardly sobbing into his shirt, but at the moment it had just felt right. Tooth couldn't really explain it, maybe it was gratitude, but for some reason she didn't even feel bad about it.

Tooth pushed her thoughts away, standing up from her bed and walking over to one of her room's windows. Peering out, she could see her street, with trees and flowers in full bloom. As she stared at the green leaves on the trees, she saw Bunny's car slowly ease into view. Tooth let out a slow breath of air, steeling herself over as she turned around and left her room, traveling down the stairs. She threw away what was left of the apple, pacing the kitchen as she waited for Bunny, until finally the doorbell rang, somewhat eerie in the nearly empty house.

Tooth walked to the door with determination, opening it wide to reveal Bunny's somewhat confused and anxious face. Tooth invited him in, quietly closing the door behind her as she escorted him to the living room. He sat down, staring at her and nervously waiting for what Tooth had to say. Bunny's stomach was churning with worry as Tooth sat down in a chair close to his, hands on her knees as she thought about how exactly she should start.

After a few silent seconds, Tooth placed her splayed fingers together, taking a deep breath before starting, "Basically, I think you have a right to know what exactly is going on, why I've been acting different and what part Jack has to play in everything." she stopped to look over at Bunny, just to make sure he was okay with everything so far. Taking a deep breath, Bunny nodded, willing her to go on. He had been wanting to know what was happening for a while, but now that he was so close he felt nervous. Tooth was taking this really seriously, she couldn't have done something _too_ bad, couldn't she? Bunny tried not to question Tooth or himself, instead watching Tooth fumble with her words as she began.

"Well, as you may know," Tooth started off, "a few months ago you were out for a soccer tournament, just after Valentine's. I told you that nothing had happened while you were away, but I wasn't telling the whole truth. Pitch invited Jack and I to the movies that weekend, and we obliged. Afterwards, I asked Jack to come get a bite to eat with me since I was starving, and Pitch had to leave. We went to Anna's diner, and he told me.. he told me the reason why he had been sent here in the first place, because of his sister." Tooth looked up to see Bunny's reaction to this, only to be met with chilled eyes. Tooth could tell Bunny wasn't angry or mad, at least not yet, but already he wasn't liking the story.

"So, what exactly happened with his sister?" Bunny asked as he slowly started connecting the dots. That would explain how Tooth had known to use Anna's food for his birthday, after all.

Tooth quickly filled Bunny in on Jack's story, willing him to see the good parts of Jack as she talked to him about how Jack had saved his sister. Her hopes lifted as she saw sympathy wash over Bunny's expression. He commented, "So, that's why he's missed school some days. Court dates."

Tooth nodded in response before continuing, "It took a pretty big toll on him, telling me that. He hadn't spoken to anyone about the incident since it had happened, and he was pretty emotional about it. So, naturally, I was comforting him in the diner for some time, and then he offered me a ride home." Here Tooth paused, almost like her next words didn't want to come out of her mouth. She knew she couldn't clam up now, though, and tried to push through it as she stated, "He took me home, and I was in his car outside the house, making sure Jack was going to be all right. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he just.. leaned down, and... _kissed_ me." Tooth winced slightly as the words came out of her mouth, and she cautiously stared back up at Bunny to see his reaction.

At first, Bunny sat there, not really knowing what to say. He looked completely surprised, eyes glazed over as if he were in a fantasy world. As the realization of Tooth's words began to sink in, his eyebrows furrowed, and the glazed look gave way to one of burning anger. After a few seconds, Bunny whispered in a voice that nearly sounded hoarse with rage, "Frost. Did. _What._" Before Tooth could even have a chance to respond, Bunny was on his feet, yelling, "That _bastard!_ He forced himself on _you, _Tooth, and you couldn't tell me? I'm going to kill him! This is why you've been holed up, isn't it? I knew I should have knocked him into the hospital yesterday, that shitty little rat was never up to any good! Has he been forcing you to hide it, Tooth?!" Bunny wheeled on her, looking concerned and filled with hatred at the same time.

"Bunny, please, just calm down!" Tooth nearly screamed, "I'm not done yet. There's more to tell." She was back on her feet as well, grabbing Bunny by a muscular arm, trying to ease him back into his seat. Unwillingly, Bunny obliged, though it was obvious to Tooth that he wasn't calmed down in the slightest. He might not even listen to the rest of the conversation now, Tooth thought with dismay. She sighed before continuing, "For a few weeks, yes, I was holed up. I retreated and I didn't know what to think, Bunny. Jack and I drifted apart, and it looked like we weren't going to be friends again, but I wasn't sure if that's what I wanted. Yesterday, on Easter, during the egg hunt, I made Jack come with me, I was just so tired of the tension between us, even though I knew he could try something again. When we were looking for eggs, we started talking. Jack told me that he truly liked me, and he wanted to know what I thought. That's why we were late getting back."

Bunny questioned angrily, "He didn't... Frost didn't try to... kiss you again, did he?"

Tooth shook her head in response, "No, he just wanted to make sure that I knew."

Bunny's fists shook with anger as he growled, "If I ever see Frost again..." he looked at the arms of the chair as if he were going to rip them off, but suddenly his fists froze in place, and his burning eyes shot back up at Tooth with an accusing glare. He whispered, "So why have you been defending Frost lately, Toothiana?"

Tooth couldn't meet Bunny's eyes. She kept her violet pair aimed towards the ground, knowing that if she looked up she would see anger, accusal, hatred, and worst of all, _hurt_ in Bunny's eyes. Tooth fumbled out an answer, "Bunny, I... I don't know, I'm still so confused..." Tooth drew her knees up to her chin, not wanting to say what both of them were secretly thinking. Jack had said he had liked her, but now was the time to say it out loud. Did Tooth _really_ like Jack back, even more so than Bunny? Tooth thought to herself, wishing it didn't have to be this difficult.

Bunny, who had been making a meager attempt to control his anger, raised up off of his chair again, jumping to conclusions as he shouted down at Tooth, "So that's it, is it?! Frost forces himself on you and I take the fall for watching out for you, Toothiana! And now you're _confused _about liking Jack?!"

Tooth winced, trying to get up as she protested, "No, no, Bunny, this isn't how I wanted it to be, when Jack told me that he liked me, I responded-"

"You know I do try my best around you Tooth, for a reason. I do like you, and you know that, you _should_ know that since we're DATING!" Bunny growled, not listening to Tooth anymore, "and suddenly Frost walks in and I have _competition? _You've taken his side over mine! I knew I should have told you to stay away from him earlier, then we could have avoided all of this! Frost is dead next time I see him, Tooth, and you are _not_ allowed around him anymore!"

Bunny was panting from his anger, arms shaking and eyes blazing with rage at Jack and her. Tooth quietly got up from her seat, violet eyes pierced with tinges of cold ice as she retorted, "Not allowed? Bunnymund, when did you start to _control _me? I'm not a dog!" Tooth walked closer to Bunny, arms stiff by her sides and fists clenched as she continued, "you know what, Bunny, I wasn't going to tell you this, but Jack _saved _me today, by getting in a fight. The only time you've gotten into fights is when you get angry, like your fight with Jack, and then you just wanted to fight him because you have some wrong opinion of him!"

Bunny looked stunned at first when Tooth mentioned Jack had saved her. His concern for Tooth was quickly thrown out by her words as he shouted back, "_Wrong opinion?!_ I was trying to _PROTECT YOU_!"

"Protect me from what?" Tooth's voice was an icy calm compared to Bunny's yelling, "Jack would never hurt me, and I know that. You know what, I can't do this anymore." Tooth pinched the bridge of her nose, shutting her eyes. She didn't like fighting or yelling, she was tired of Bunny, and most of all Tooth was just _scared. _Bunny yelling at her frightened her more than anything, and she hadn't expected it to end up like this.

Bunny straightened up, breathing in and out a few times, seeing that Tooth was flinching away from him. He tried taking a step forwards to her, then placed himself back. Bunny drew himself up, trying to calm his voice as he stated, "This is it, Tooth. Either you stop talking to Jack and stay with me, or we..." his voice trailed off, but Tooth caught his meaning. If she didn't stop talking to Jack, Bunny was going to break up with her. Tooth wiped away tears that were forming in her eyes, but suddenly out of nowhere she felt calmer than before. Nobody was going to control her, imprison her in a set of rules.

"We're over." Tooth answered, resolute. Bunny took a step back, almost as shocked at Tooth's decision as she was. He tried to smooth over his face, nodding a bit reluctantly before turning around and stepping out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

Tooth sighed, sinking into her chair. She pulled her knees up to her chin, body shaking as more tears came streaming down her face. As she was sitting there, her phone suddenly buzzed in her back pocket. Sniffling, she brought it out to see who it was. A message from Jack popped up, and she clicked on it:

_Did you finish talking to Bunny? How did everything go?_

Tooth quickly typed back:

_We split._

Telling it to someone else felt so weird, so... official, Tooth thought as she sat up in her chair. Not a moment later a new text came up from Jack, and she opened it anxiously:

_I'll be right over. _

Tooth smiled weakly, wondering if Jack was serious. He was going to go waste a car trip from his house just to comfort her? She smiled a bit more at the idea, but her grin soon wavered, and Tooth sank lower into the chair, hot tears running down her flushed face.

* * *

Jack finished his text before stuffing his phone into his pocket. He jumped up from his bed, where he had been doing homework, and raced downstairs to get his keys. He snatched them up from the kitchen table, where Mr. Moon was going over some paperwork. As Jack quickly grabbed his things and passed by his father to go towards the door, Mr. Moon called out, "Hey! Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

Jack stopped by the door, fingers inches away from the handle. He turned and quickly spouted an answer, though his cheeks were flushed with embarrassment, "I'm going to go visit Tooth."

"Why, you're practically charging through the door just to go see her! Is something wrong?" Jack's dad sat up straighter in his chair, head turning away from his paperwork and towards his son.

Jack tried to think of a logical reply, but the longer he fumbled for an answer, Mr. Moon was slowly raking his eyes across Jack's face, noticing the bruises from his fight with Bunny. "What happened to you, son?" Mr. Moon asked with concern as he stepped out of his chair, beginning to walk towards Jack.

Jack quickly backed away from his dad's oncoming figure, coughing out an answer, "I just got in a little fight, dad, no big deal.. but I really, _really_ need to go see Tooth. She just got out of what I think was a really bad argument and I can tell she isn't feeling well. I need to be there for her." Jack looked up at his father, hoping Mr. Moon would let him leave.

Jack's father stepped back, looking his son up and down before stating, "Fine, go see Tooth." As Jack wrapped his hand around the door's handle, yanking it open to let a fresh breeze in, his father stopped him again. "Don't think you haven't gotten out of explaining what the fight was," Mr. Moon said with a governing tone, "but go visit Tooth. If you really think that she's hurt, you need to be there for her." Mr. Moon patted Jack on the shoulder before turning around, starting to make his way back towards the kitchen table.

Jack mumbled a small thanks to his father before slipping out the door. As Jack piled into his car and quickly pulled out of the driveway, turning onto the street to start racing towards Tooth's, he couldn't help but let possibilities start flying through his head. Had the breakup been mutual, or one sided? Would Bunny have started screaming at Tooth? Jack had never seen Bunny yell at Tooth before, and they hardly ever seemed to get into arguments. Jack knew Tooth was hurting right now, and he didn't think she had expected to break up with Bunny. Even Jack had thought Tooth would resolve the issue and still be Bunny's girlfriend. It was probably Bunny's fault, Jack thought to himself, he didn't know when he had something amazing until it was gone.

As Jack lingered on his questions and concerns for Tooth, he couldn't help but notice a warm feeling in his stomach. It definitely wasn't over with Bunny, not yet, but Bunny was backing away for now. Tooth had broken up with him! A grin flashed across Jack's face, but he felt guilty smiling at Tooth's pain. The only thing he could do right now was be there for Tooth, just like she had always been there for him. Jack gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, nodding to himself as he made his way towards Tooth, the warm feeling still present.

As he pulled into Tooth's driveway, Jack noticed it was starting to get dark outside. Tooth's mom wasn't home yet, but she could be at any minute. Would she disapprove of seeing Jack there? Hoping everything would work out for the best, Jack shoved his thoughts away as he stepped out of the car. He quietly walked up onto the porch, hand hesitating over the doorknob. Should he knock? Jack thought to himself. Tooth might be angry and decide to not let him in if he did, so instead Jack quietly opened the unlocked door, slipping inside. The house was nearly dead silent, the only thing making any sound were some small sniffles coming from the living room. Jack hurriedly made his way towards the noise, finding the source upon entering the room.

Tooth was sitting in a chair, curled up nearly into a ball as sobs rattled her small frame. She felt a presence enter the room and looked up with red eyes to locate the source. Jack was by her side in an instant, crouching on the ground as he looked for something to say or do that would help.

Tooth smiled through her tears, almost giggling and she sniffled, "I thought you were kidding, I didn't think you were going to come."

Jack laughed silently with her, worry in his eyes betraying him. He replied, "Of course I did, I don't lie. Are you okay, Tooth? Can I help you?"

Tooth's smile flickered instantly, and she leaned towards Jack, twisting her arms around his back to hug him tightly. She pressed her face against his chest as she mumbled, "This is the second time I've done this today, I'm so embarrassed.."

Jack laughed, maneuvering himself so that he was sitting in the chair with Tooth as she still hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her small waist, bringing her closer to him. Jack could feel Tooth's hair, smell her faint perfume, and he closed his eyes, rubbing Tooth's back as she tried to get ahold of herself. After a minute or two of the embrace, Jack whispered, "Were you able to tell him? Everything?"

Tooth shifted her face so she was looking up at Jack, and she nodded slowly, answering, "I told him everything, except for who attacked me today and what happened afterwards. H-he got so mad, Jack, he was yelling at me and I was just fed up with him, I was tired and _scared.._"

Jack hugged her tighter, looking away for a moment so that Tooth wouldn't see the anger that flitted through his eyes. Bunny had yelled at _her? _Jack stated, "He should have known better, Tooth. He should have _never_ yelled at you, he should have seen that you were frightened and known to just _shut up._"

Tooth whispered in return, "I deserved it. I said some rude things, so he just.. returned the favor." Tooth felt oddly comfortable telling Jack all of this, feeling safe next to his chest with his lean but muscular arms wrapped around her, rubbing her as he spoke with a soft calmness.

"It doesn't matter, he shouldn't have done that, not to you, Tooth." Jack looked grim for a moment, then decided to ask something that had been on his mind, "So, what exactly ended it? I know you fought, but about what?"

Tooth pulled away from their embrace to look Jack squarely in the eyes. It was hard for him to let go of her, wanting nothing else but to be as close as possible right now. Tooth responded solemnly, "He started to get angry after I told him you kissed me. Then I told him that on Easter, you had told me you liked me, and you wanted an answer. He jumped to conclusions and started yelling about how ever since you came he's had competition." Tooth sighed, taking a deep breath before she finished, "Bunny said that I could either stop talking to you and stay with him, or end the relationship. I.. well, you know what I chose." Tooth's violet eyes, which were puffy from crying, looked into Jack's. She watched his eyes fill with happiness and gratitude as she explained it to him, and she couldn't help but smile a little in turn.

Jack wanted to hold onto Tooth so badly right then, to hold on and never let go. She had chosen him over her relationship with Bunny, and he was positively overflowing with joy. He questioned, "Did you ever tell him what you told me on Easter, when we were hunting for eggs?"

Tooth shook her head in response, "No, he started yelling before I could. I should have told him, Jack, I should have gone right out and said it, right? That I like you, truly, even more so than Bunny." Tooth sighed with an air of finality as she was able to tell it to herself for once. She repeated with confidence, "I really like you, Jack."

Jack could no longer hold in his joy, once again hearing the words escape Tooth's lips, this time sounding so strong and resolute. He grabbed Tooth by the small of her back, pushing her closer as he leaned down and their lips connected. Tooth, after a mere second of surprise, wrapped her arms around Jack's neck, leaning back into the kiss. They sat there for a moment, squished together in the chair as they embraced, hugging each other in comfort as they kissed. Tooth and Jack both felt bad, knowing that she had just broken up with Bunny, but it felt as if they had been waiting for this, for all the secrets to be pushed out, and now was the moment of clarity. Jack was brimming with joy, love and satisfaction as he finally tasted what he had been yearning for all along. Bunny was no longer controlling Tooth, she was free to be with him. Tooth felt as if it was her first kiss all over again, surprise controlling her at first before a new emotion came in, one of happiness and bliss as she leaned into Jack, realizing that this is who she had been waiting for. Frost was who it was meant to be all along, and maybe, deep down, Tooth had known that as well.

After a minute or two, they pulled away, breathing hard and light headed, giggling. They kept hugging each other, Tooth resting her head on his warm chest as he leaned down to rest his chin on her shoulder. After a moment, Jack whispered, "Is that why you were mad with Bunny earlier, he was telling you to stay away from me?" after Tooth nodded, Jack continued with slight hesitation, "So, what now?"

Tooth took longer to respond, "We can't do anything... not yet. Bunny is mad, and he's going to be looking for you to pick a fight. We just need to stick together, and if everything pulls through.. maybe we can.. be together." Tooth shifted her gaze to look at Jack, and he nodded in consent before looking away. He couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed, knowing he had to wait longer. Jack calmed himself, knowing that if he had waited this long he could wait for Bunny to be completely out of the picture.

He responded, "I'll stick with you."

Tooth grinned widely, a beautifully bright smile that dazzled Jack and made him want to kiss her again. It had been ages since she had directed one of her amazing smiles straight at him, and he grinned widely in return. Jack rubbed Tooth's back as she propped her chin onto his shoulder, both of them closing their eyes in content. Their closeness suggested them being more than friends, but Jack's priority right then was to make sure Tooth was all right. And Tooth, for once in what seemed like a long time, felt perfectly fine.

"Ahem." a stern voice sounded behind them, and Tooth's eyes popped open as she pushed out of Jack's arms, rocketing out of her chair to stand straight up. Jack sighed, slowly turning towards the voice, already missing where Tooth had been.

"M-mom!" Tooth exclaimed, looking hot with embarrassment.

Rashmi eyed the two of them curiously, staring back and forth as she looked for an explanation. Her motherly instincts took over as she asked, "And what do you two think you are doing?"

Tooth shuffled her feet, looking caught in the act. Jack fearlessly looked into Rashmi's eyes, which were shooting daggers at him. He calmly explained, "Tooth wasn't feeling well, so I came over to make sure she was all right."

Rashmi looked almost taken aback at how calm Jack was, retorting, "Well, it looked a little _close _for comfort, if you know what I mean. I like you, Mr. Frost, but don't try any funny business with my daughter while I'm out. Tooth?" she turned towards her daughter, who had looked up from the spot on the floor her eyes had been so fixated on before.

Tooth could tell when her mom was really mad and when she was just giving a warning, and this was definitely the ladder. Feeling a small change in the mood, she replied with a smile, "You know me, mom, I'm not one to try anything like that. Jack just came over, we weren't planning on.. _doing _anything." Tooth turned her head towards Jack, who nodded in agreement.

"Oh I know, Toothiana, but you know I must try to uphold _some _rules in this house. I don't even know who you're dating anymore, first it was the Australian, now you seem to be friendly with Mr. Frost boy, I'm too old to keep up with this." She waved her hand, tired, and turned to walk towards the kitchen.

Jack called out after Tooth's mom, "Uh, should I leave, Miss Rashmi?" Jack turned towards Tooth with an unsure look, confused about if Rashmi was really mad or not.

"No, no, you might as well stay for dinner. Just don't let me come back in there and see you two going at it like dogs, I don't think my heart could handle that." Rashmi called back to Jack.

Tooth's face flushed red, and she turned back to Jack with a stunned look. She whispered, "I'm sorry, about.. her.." she was glowing with embarrassment, and Jack couldn't help but laugh in return. He scooted up to the front of the chair, grabbing Tooth around the small of her waist and pulling her back into his lap. She squealed, giggling as she let herself fall into Jack's comforting grip. Jack held her with one hand on her arm, the other securing her leg so she didn't fall out of his lap. One side of her head was pressed against his right shoulder, and her hands found their way up to his neck, where she hung on with a loose grip. Sitting there, they became quiet, and Jack could tell Tooth was thinking hard about something. Her grin slowly faded off of her lips and her violet eyes began to darken with worry. Right as Jack was about to ask what was on her mind, she questioned, "Am I a horrible person?"

Jack was taken aback by Tooth's comment. Her, a horrible person? Why would Tooth ever even think that? Before he could respond, Tooth continued, "It's just that, I was with Bunny for a really long time, and then I started questioning myself when you came. And I kissed you today, before Bunny and I had broken up, and again after. I feel like a no good cheat, like some rude girl that just gives up someone she's been dating like he's nothing. I feel like I shouldn't have done that to Bunny. He doesn't deserve that."

Jack sat in silence for a while, trying to think of what to say. Finally he responded, "Well, I guess it is my fault. If I had never been here, you would have probably stayed with Bunny, or you could have eventually broken up with him. But if you're saying that you feel bad that you're.. happy, right now-" he trailed off, not really knowing how to go on.

Tooth nodded to herself, stating, "It's just.. I think I should be feeling worse about breaking up with him than I do. He was certainly hurt, and I was upset, but right now I don't feel _sad. _I mean, I do, sort of, that I had to break up with him, but I don't feel sad about the actual not being close with him anymore. Does that sound weird? I'm not even sad now, just upset that he made me choose." Tooth looked troubled as she tried to explain it to Jack, not meeting his eyes as she looked down at her lap. She obviously felt guilty, and Jack didn't really have an answer for her.

"You're not a horrible person," he whispered after a moment of silence, "There's always going to be one person that's more upset than the other in a breakup. And.." Jack thought for a second, wondering if he was cheesy enough to say what was on his mind. He continued, "And I may be part of what's making you sad, but I also believe I can be the one to make you happy. I hate seeing you sad, Tooth, when I can bring in fun, or at least try."

Tooth sniffled, a small smile flashing across her face as she whispered, "Who knew you were so cheesy, Jack." She tightened her grip on his neck, pulling herself up so that she could embrace him. Her head next to his, she leaned towards his ear, mumbling, "You did help, though. Thanks."

Jack grinned, laughing at himself. He took a hand and gripped Tooth's back tightly, one arm still placed on her leg so that she didn't start to slip off of his lap. He whispered back, "Of course, Tooth."

They sat together as noises soon started erupting from the kitchen, sizzling and popping along with a warm scent wafting into the room. Tooth sighed with a smile, breaking away from Jack's arms as she got out of the chair. She looked at Jack, who seemed to be a little upset with her leaving, and explained, "I've got to go help my mom. She doesn't usually cook, especially on weekdays."

Jack nodded in return, getting out the chair as well. "I'll help," he stated, "I do a bit of cooking at my house, too." He smiled, following after Tooth as they made their way towards the kitchen. As they walked into the room, Jack noticed that all of the windows were open and smoke was drifting around the room.

"_Mom,_" Tooth groaned, walking over to Rashmi, who was stirring some food that was placed in a wok, "you're supposed to turn the fan on, not leave all the windows open!" she clicked a fan on that was placed over the stove, which immediately began to cut down the level of smoke. Tooth grabbed the wok from her mom, turning the stove on high and whisking the food inside around forcefully.

"Well I wish you had told me that sooner," Rashmi said with exasperation, "I've been cooking _myself_ in here! Should've come sooner, I'm nearly finished now!"

"Did you get the rice?" Tooth asked, turning around to glance at her mom before she put her eyes back on the wok.

"Yeah, it's in the cooker." Rashmi pointed over to a small machine with a timer on it.

"Need any help, Tooth?" Jack asked from where he was standing. He leaned against one of the kitchen walls, but before Tooth could answer Rashmi walked over to him, looking tired.

"Tooth, need help? She's been cooking for ages, she could prepare a feast on her own if she wanted to." Rashmi sounded playfully exasperated, but Jack could see a glint of real admiration in her eyes as she talked about Tooth.

"So, did you teach her?" Jack asked, turning his head towards Rashmi.

"Ah, no. Her father, Haroom... He did. He was always a better cook than me." Rashmi nodded, and Jack could have kicked himself for asking. Not wanting to upset anyone, he quickly changed the subject, talking to Tooth's mom as Tooth finished the last few preparations. Getting out some plates, she scooped rice onto each of them, then placed the food that was in the wok on top of the rice. Setting down the plates at the table, Rashmi handed out some silverware and napkins as Jack got drinks. They all sat down, ready to dig in.

"So, what is this?" Jack asked, smelling the delicious food.

"Homemade teriyaki beef, one of my favorite dishes." Tooth smiled before taking a bite. Jack and Rashmi began to eat as well, and Jack was surprised at how good it tasted. He quickly began to envelop the rest, not realizing how hungry he had been. Tooth laughed as she watched him eat, taking small bites of her food.

"So, Mister Frost, what's with the cuts and bruises?" Rashmi asked as she ate. Tooth sighed, rolling her eyes at her protective mother.

"I got in a scuffle," Jack smiled, "and you can call me Jack, if you want."

"Mmm." Rashmi looked Jack up and down before continuing, "And why was Tooth upset earlier? I trust you to give me the truth."

Jack glanced at Tooth, who nodded, before he answered, "Actually, Tooth broke up with her boyfriend, Bunnymund. He's who I was in the scuffle with."

Rashmi turned to Tooth before questioning, "You alright, Toothie?" Tooth nodded in return, not wanting her mom to worry over her. Rashmi nodded in return, turning back to her plate as she commented, "You're a strong girl, Tooth. No wonder you're dealing with it like a trooper. And ah, thank you for being there for her, Jack." Rashmi tilted her head in Jack's direction, and he nodded back at her, glad that she wasn't angry.

Rashmi slowly rose out of her chair, asking Jack and Tooth if they were done with their meals. She picked up the plates, taking them over to the sink. When Tooth stood up to help, Rashmi waved her off, saying, "Go, I'll do this as thanks for helping me with dinner. You should be heading home soon, Jack, it's getting late and it _is _a school day."

Jack nodded, exiting out of the room with Tooth after he thanked Rashmi. Tooth walked him to the front door, standing by it but not wanting Jack to leave just yet. Jack stared down at Tooth, and he held out his hands as permission for a hug. Tooth nearly jumped into his arms, squeezing him with all her might as he held tightly to her small frame, leaning down so that he could feel the side of her head against his. Tooth buried her head into the crook of his neck, comforted by his warmth.

After a moment, they pulled away, and Jack's hand hovered over the doorknob for a few still seconds, before he slowly opened it to let in the cool night air. "See ya, Tooth," Jack smiled, "and stay safe."

As he turned around, Tooth called out, "Jack, wait." He turned around quickly, and Tooth cupped the side of his face in one of her small hands, closing her eyes and leaning up to give him a small, soft peck on the cheek. He grinned widely as she looked up into his eyes with her shockingly violet ones, whispering, "Thank you for everything, Jack." Tooth pulled away, and Jack wanted nothing more than to kiss her right then, but he held himself back, knowing Rashmi could come by at any moment. He said one last goodbye before turning around and leaving, Tooth watching from the house as her Frost slipped away for the night.

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**I hope you liked the chapter! At least Tooth and Jack are okay.. for now!**  
**Please leave a review, it really helps!**


	15. The Clock is Ticking

**Hey guys!**

**I just want to say I am so sorry for the long wait! Summer is unfortunately almost over, so I've been really busy getting all of my things ready for school. Not to mention I got writer's block several times trying to write this chapter, but I think I was able to bat it down enough to get a few good bits in! **

**I hope you enjoy it!**

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Jack gripped his steering wheel tightly as he drove home, feeling anxious. Clouds had appeared as he was driving, and already the first few sprinkles of rain were beginning to splatter across his windshield. He never liked driving in the rain, it always made him uncomfortable, even though he thought himself a pretty safe driver.

He knew it wasn't just the rain that was making him anxious, though. Bunny was somewhere right now, looking for him. Jack didn't know what Cottontail had planned for him, but he honestly didn't care, as long as Tooth had his back. Jack wasn't even intimidated by Bunny anymore, and if the Australian tried to attack Jack because he was angry, Jack wouldn't hesitate to make him back down.

As the light first drops of rain began to turn into a heavier downpour, Jack pulled into his driveway, letting the headlights stay on for a few minutes as he sat in his car. It was beginning to get dark out, but not too late for his dad to still be awake, and Jack knew he was going to want to know what happened between him and Bunny. Sighing, Jack rested his head against the steering wheel for a few moments, feeling tired. It had been a really long couple of days, and now he was once again going to have to relay the information to his dad, and no doubt get stuck in a lecture from his father.

Jack exhaled slowly, telling himself the faster he got out of the car, the quicker it would be over. Nodding to himself, he took the keys out of his car and opened the door, running inside to get out of the rain.

Inside, just as Jack had suspected, he heard the slight shuffling of papers from his dad's office. When the front door clicked to a close behind Jack, there was a momentary silence before he could hear his dad's chair scraping against the floor as he got up. Jack turned towards the kitchen, setting down his car keys and phone as he stalled until his dad walked in, looking about as tired as Jack felt.

"Hello, Jack," he greeted his son wearily, "did you get everything sorted out with Tooth? Is she alright?"

"Yeah, she's good," Jack answered with a nod, "she was a little upset because of some stuff that happened, but I think she's all right for now."

Jack's dad silently took in the information before replying, "Well that's good, I'm glad to hear she's okay." There was an awkward pause, then he continued, "So, her being upset. Does it have anything to do with... this?" he gestured towards Jack's bruises, a slight flash of concern flitting across his eyes momentarily.

Jack's eyes hung at the corner of the room, and it took him a moment to look up and meet his father's eyes as he answered, "Yes, it's a long story, but I promised you I would tell you." He sighed, trying to make it short as he quickly explained, "Tooth's boyfriend, well, ex-boyfriend now, doesn't like me so much, and the other night he started pushing me around. I lost my cool and got into a fight, and we threw some punches. It didn't last long, but Tooth was pretty upset and she asked him to come over today. They started to argue, and she decided to end it, so I came over to just make sure she was okay." Jack could feel his cheeks reddening as he told his dad, embarrassed that he had to reveal something personal.

Mr. Moon thought to himself for a while, staring off into space as Jack waited for him to talk, and finally he responded, "Jack, I'm upset that you got into a fight with Tooth's boyfriend. But I think you know well enough it wasn't the best way to handle the situation, and under normal circumstances you probably would have. But, we both know you like Tooth, and it's only natural for guys to get filled with testosterone and all that kind of stuff around girls -" Jack winced with discomfort as his father continued, "But I am proud that you went to check on Tooth today, some breakups can be pretty tough. It was very noble and kindhearted of you. I'm just curious, what is the name of Tooth's recent boyfriend?" Jack's father asked casually, but Jack could hear in his dad's tone of voice that his parental instincts were kicking in, making sure that Bunny wasn't a threat to Jack.

Jack nodded his head in understanding, feeling a bit ashamed that he hadn't handled the situation with Bunny more carefully like his father would have, but wondering at the same time if Tooth would have been lead to break up with Bunny if the fight hadn't happened in the first place. Jack began to tell his dad Bunny's name, when suddenly the doorbell rang. Jack's father stepped towards it, but Jack waved him off, stating he would get it instead. He turned his back to his father, walking up to where his door was and opening it widely. As he opened it, he couldn't help but suck in a sharp, sudden breath.

It was Bunny. Standing outside, dripping in rain, and looking positively furious.

Jack stepped back before setting his jaw, trying to hold his ground next to the giant Australian. Before Jack had a chance to say anything, Bunny whispered, "Frost, I think we should go for a quick walk. What do you say?"

Jack stared at Bunny, trying to figure out his plan. He could refuse Bunny, just walk back inside and deal with it later when the Australian was cooled down. But then again, if he waited, Bunny just might get angrier..

"Dad, I've got to go real quick." Jack called to the inside of the house.

"What's that? Why?" Jack's father asked from the kitchen, his voice getting a bit closer.

"Just a.. biology partner," Jack lied smoothly, "I forgot we were going to the library to take some notes for a project. Do you mind if we head out? I know we were talking, but this is _really _important."

"This late? I suppose you can try, but I wouldn't count on the library being open." Mr. Moon said skeptically, halting just outside of the sight of Bunny.

"We'll check and see," Jack called quickly, already beginning to shut the door, "Thanks."

Jack closed the door, stepping out into the rain with Bunny. Already his clothes were starting to get damp, and Bunny kept the hot look of fury on his face as he turned around and started walking down the driveway, not saying anything, leaving Jack with no choice but to follow.

They walked through the rain in silence for a few minutes, Jack keeping his calm expression as the pair walked past houses he knew, and it seemed that Bunny was heading towards the small strip mall that was close to his house. There were only a few shops there, and not a lot of business, especially at night. Jack suppressed a gulp as he trailed behind Bunny, fists clenched in his pockets just in case the Australian turned on him.

But surprisingly, Bunny didn't, and they both made it to the beginning of the shops without a word. Jack was drenched in rain, his clothes hanging onto his damp skin, and the cool night wind bit through his clothes and left him shivering and on edge. Jack was a bit fed up with the whole mysterious routine Bunny was trying to play off, but as he opened his mouth to speak Bunny interrupted him first.

"So, Frost, you got home late tonight." It was a statement, not a question. Jack stiffened at the thought of Bunny waiting outside his home for him, but he nodded in response.

"Speak up, mate." Bunny said a bit gruffly, but with a nearly terrifying smile plastered across his face, "I want to make sure I hear every word of this conversation, don't let things get, ya know, out of hand." He said this like he was cautioning Jack to watch for a dip in the road, not like a near threat.

Jack coughed, stating, "Yes- Yeah, I did get home late tonight."

Bunny nodded, then continued, "And where were you while you were away, _Frost._" He spat out Jack's last name like it was something poisonous, and something inside Jack told him Bunny already knew.

Jack replied truthfully, "I went to Tooth's house."

"Mmm." Bunny's eyes flashed angrily, and he suddenly turned towards the right, looking like he was going in the direction of a shop which was obviously closed.

Jack thought to himself, if there was ever a chance to leave, it was now. Bunny was mad and it wouldn't do any good to talk to him, plus he didn't know if he liked where this was going.

He should leave.

Jack breathed in deeply and kept following Bunny.

"So, I'm curious," Bunny said almost to himself, "What lies did you spin to get Tooth under your wing? Tell her I was a bad person? Did you tell her kissing you would be okay, that _I _wouldn't be able to see past your mask, like all the others? To see what a no good, cheating, lying scum you really are?!" Bunny was yelling at the end, whipping around to stare at Jack with a murderous look.

Jack took a few steps away from Bunny, raising his hands up in a sign of innocence as he explained, "Bunny, I'm not _weaving lies_ around anyone. I haven't told Tooth anything, and I mean _anything, _against you, to make her break up with you. It was her own choice! Yes, I did kiss her, I admit to that! But it was wrong, and I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry. After that she wouldn't speak to me and I was scared, so I had to make sure she knew I liked her! That's where we were on Easter, I only wanted her to know. And yes, yes I like her, I have liked her Bunny, and that was wrong of me while you were around, but when she talked to you today it was her own choice, she didn't even think about breaking up!"

Bunny growled back, "If you hadn't forced Tooth into kissing you, there never would have _been_ a choice! She would have stayed with me, she would have been _happy!_"

"Who's to say she isn't happy now?" Jack retorted, not able to help himself. Bunny's anger was somehow contagious, no matter how hard he tried to keep calm. He continued, "Kissing her was wrong, but it was right after I had told her about my sister Emma and I wasn't exactly thinking straight! It was just one kiss, Bunny, and she.. she didn't even kiss me back, no doubt you've had loads of time to yourself with her!" Jack didn't want to think about that, but he was just trying to make Bunny calm down.

Instead, Bunny snarled and grabbed Jack by his shirt, dragging him around the side of the shop and pinning him on one of the walls, which lead straight into a dark alleyway. Bunny bunched his fists in Jack's clothing, lifting him up from the ground a few inches as Bunny stated menacingly, "That's where you're wrong, _Frost. _I've never kissed Tooth, not once, and you've been at her ever since then, haven't you? Avoiding each other my ass." He shoved Jack a little bit so that his body slammed against the wall again.

No, Jack thought, a flash of panic shooting through his eyes, no, that couldn't be true! Bunny had to have kissed Tooth sometime, they had been together for the longest time! But as Jack thought about it, he realized he had never seen Bunny kiss Tooth. They hugged, pecked each other on the cheek or the nose, but Jack had never seen the Australian kiss her. Jack closed his eyes, letting out a breath of air as he realized what an idiot he was. Kissing his girlfriend was bad, but kissing her first was even worse. Jack opened his eyes again to stare up at the angry Australian, replying, "I'll say it again, Bunny, _I'm sorry. _I didn't know you hadn't kissed Tooth, but I haven't been with her behind your back, and I haven't been forcing her into anything, either. She only wanted to talk to you today, but she got tired of you _controlling _her. And that's why she made her choice, and she chose _me._"

"I wasn't CONTROLLING HER!" Bunny yelled, slamming Jack forcefully against the wall, "I WAS PROTECTING HER FROM _YOU!_" The Australian yanked Jack by his clothes, throwing him onto the hard ground of the alleyway with a slam. Jack tried to get his footing, backing away from Bunny as he advanced on Jack. He leaned down, grabbing Jack with one hand before he had a chance to get up. He hissed, "She should have chosen _ME!_" With his free hand, Bunny drew back his arm, formed in a fist, and punched Jack squarely in the jaw with an unnerving crunch.

Jack fell back against the ground, but this time he was quicker, jumping up onto his feet and trying to ignore the searing pain in his jaw. He nearly yelped as he tried to speak, "Bunny, you don't want to do this, you need to calm down!"

Bunny cracked his knuckles, twisting his neck as he started stepping towards Jack, and he grinned menacingly as he replied, "Oh, I _really _think I do." He tried to punch Jack again, but the smaller boy had been expecting it, and ducked out of the way just in time. Jack jumped at Bunny, catching the Australian off guard and managing to tackle him to the ground before quickly scrambling back off.

Bunny was winded, and Jack took the moment to nearly scream at the Australian, "I went to Tooth's today because she felt bad about breaking up with you. It wasn't easy for her, and when I got there she was a mess!" he paused, drawing in a few ragged breaths before continuing, "..She asked me, she wanted to know, if I thought she was a horrible person." Jack left out the details of kissing her while he was over there, and that she thought she was horrible because she didn't feel as bad as she thought she would about breaking up with Bunny. Cottontail needed to hear that she was having a hard time about it, if only to help him get back a little bit of his pride.

For a moment, Jack could almost see it working in Bunny, concern filling his eyes as he thought about Tooth. And just as it had come into his eyes, the concern disappeared, and the same old hatred at Jack had returned. He jumped to his feet, questioning accusingly, "So, why did you take it upon yourself to go to Tooth's today, _Frost?_"

Before Jack could even think of an answer, Bunny was on top of him, throwing punches as Jack desperately tried to avoid them. He was nicked a few times, and once Bunny got a good jab at Jack's left shoulder, sending a sharp stabbing pain all up the side of his arm and across his chest. In between dodging Bunny, Jack landed a few good punches, not as heavy as Cottontail's, but he had more chances to hit him, slipping around Bunny's lumbering attacks so that he could fight back. Bunny was breathing raggedly after Jack had gotten a good few punches to the ribs, and he had fresh cuts on his face and a black eye from where Jack had managed to hit him.

Gripping his shoulder and breathing heavily, Jack decided to end the fight. As Bunny made another lunge towards him, Jack ducked down, slipping around the Australian's feet to end up facing Bunny's back. Using his good shoulder, Jack charged into Bunny's back, bringing the larger boy toppling to the ground with a crash.

"CAN WE STOP FIGHTING!" Jack screamed as Bunny squirmed to get up. He jumped off of the Australian, continuing, "It isn't getting us anywhere except for some broken bones and for Tooth to be even more mad at the both of us!"

Bunny didn't seem to be listening as he struggled to his feet, sweat dripping off of him onto the dark ground. Jack, on his last resort, stated, "This isn't what Tooth would want. For either of us. I don't know about you, but I can't see her upset anymore."

Something broke in Bunny. He took a step forward, but the anger drained from his eyes, and he looked around himself as if he didn't know where he was. He stepped back, looked Jack in the eyes, and nodded slowly. Without a word, he turned around and began to walk down the alleyway.

Jack sighed, closing his eyes and breathing in as much cool air as he could. He wiped the sweat off of his face, glanced around, and began to walk the other way. Jack was glad something finally got through to Bunny, he didn't know how much more he would have been able to take. His shoulder seared with pain as he walked home, and the pain in his jaw was starting to reappear, but at least he had been able to take on Bunny. If it was bad now, it would have just been worse later, Jack mused. If Bunny had had to hold onto that anger and wait for a chance to attack Jack, who knows how much worse it would have turned out for the both of them. Shaking his head, Jack tried to clear his thoughts, and instead think about getting home.

When he stepped into the door to his house, all of the lights were off. Jack didn't know what time it was, but he was guessing it was pretty late for his dad to have gone to bed without finishing their talk. He quietly made his way up to his bedroom, taking a quick cold shower before slipping into bed and instantly falling asleep, his muscles aching and trying not to think of how he was going to explain the new bruises to his dad.

The next morning, Jack was lucky to find that his dad wasn't awake yet. Guessing he might have had a day to relax, Jack quietly got ready, trying not to wake his father. His shoulder was hurting awfully, and he had a giant bruise on his jaw, along with some smaller cuts and bruises. Jack took some ibuprofen to ease the aching pain in his shoulder and went to root for something to eat. He settled with a quick bowl of cereal, placing his dish into the sink before turning on his heel to leave.

Jack's phone buzzed from his pocket, and he picked it up, a lopsided smile easing onto his face as he saw that it was from Tooth. He quickly read the message, which stated:

_Hey, Jack, I know this is a little sudden, but do you think you could swing by and pick me up? I don't really want to get a ride from Bunny._

Jack quickly replied 'yes' before shoving his phone in his pocket and quietly going to grab his backpack, then making his way towards the door.

Jack made it safely to his car without a sign of his dad getting up, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as he made his way to Tooth's house. Jack's father certainly wasn't going to be happy that he had gotten into yet another fight with Bunny, especially after they had just been talking about it. Jack sighed, hoping his dad would understand that Bunny had come onto him, that Jack had never wanted to fight in the first place.

'Oh well,' Jack thought, 'I'll just have to wait to see what happens when it happens.' His drive to Tooth's house was quiet, and when he pulled up the only sounds he heard were the birds chirping, and the tiny rustling of wind in the trees.

Tooth jumped out onto her front porch, disturbing the soundlessness with a creak as she shut the door behind her, quickly making her way to Jack's car. He smiled at her morning cheeriness, unusually happy for what time it was.

"Thanks," she breathed as she stepped into his car, tossing her backpack under the seat before closing the car door behind her. She glanced over at Jack to greet him, a small smile on her face, but when she looked at him the smile immediately slipped off her face, and she grabbed him by the shoulder, turning his face with her free hand so she could get a better look.

"What happened?!" She exclaimed, seeing new cuts and bruises, and an especially red mark on his jaw. Suddenly, realization hit Tooth like a giant wave. She looked into Jack's eyes, worry as well as anger in her eyes as she questioned, "Was this.. Bunny?"

Jack nodded slowly, and Tooth wanted to scream herself hoarse. What was his deal?! Bunny couldn't just go around beating people up, he needed to get ahold of his temper! Was it her fault? Was he so mad at her he decided to take it out on Jack?

Jack interrupted Tooth's thoughts, pulling out of her driveway and getting back onto the road as he spoke. "He showed up after I cam home last night, he had been waiting for me...he filled Tooth in on everything that happened, between when Bunny had knocked on his door until this morning. As he filled her in, Tooth looked out of the window, looking like she was almost in a daze as she listened to Jack's story, the only inclination that she was getting every word were her small hands, that tightened into fists when she heard some of the especially cruel things Bunny had said.

"...And he just left. Haven't heard from him since then, not that I really want to." Jack finished, glancing over at Tooth. He asked gently, "Has he.. contacted you? Tried to talk to you since last night?"

Tooth shook her head before responding, "Nope, not a word. But he, he did stop by here this morning. He pulled up like he usually does, to give me a ride, but of course I wasn't going to get in. It may have been his form of an apology, but I really wasn't ready to talk to him, so I called you for a ride instead. He only waited outside for a few minutes, then I think he got the message and left. Oh, and thanks again for the ride," she finished as Jack pulled up to the school and parked his car. She grabbed his hand and gave it a quick squeeze before sliding out of Jack's car and making her way to classes. Jack grabbed his backpack, throwing the strap over the shoulder that wasn't bruised before stepping out. He could obviously tell his bruises and scars were getting him weird looks from some of the kids, but he didn't care, instead shouldering past them to get to his locker.

For Both Jack and Tooth, morning classes went by painfully slow. It seemed they were both thinking about what would happen later, during lunch, when they would both see Bunny again. Jack could only hope that the Australian had gotten all of the fight in him out from last night, so that he wouldn't make a scene in the middle of the whole school. Tooth just hoped he wouldn't send another barrage of insults their way, she would die of embarrassment if the entire cafeteria saw her cry.

Tooth wasn't just worried about Bunny, though. What about Pitch? Would he be there too, act as if nothing had happened? Tooth hoped that if he tried to sit down and play it all off that she would be able to drive him away. Tooth shuddered to think what would have happened if Jack hadn't been there in time to grab Pitch off of her! It was almost as if she had been cornered by fear, unable to move or do anything, like a deer caught in the headlights. She felt so stupid for not being able to properly defend herself, but this time, she promised, she would have the upper hand. She was scared of Pitch, but she would not allow herself to be trapped like that again.

After what seemed like forever, the bells for lunch finally rang, and Tooth anxiously made her way towards the cafeteria, trying not to let her imagination get the better of her.

When she entered their normal spot, she surprisingly saw Jack there first, looking around for any signs of Bunnymund or Pitch.

Tooth sighed with relief, sitting down next to Jack before stating, "I was scared I was going to have to deal with Bunny or Pitch on my own for a bit." Tooth attempted a small chuckle, but it came out more of a squeak, and she shut her mouth, embarrassed.

Jack shot her a lopsided smile with those dazzling teeth, replying, "Nah, I wasn't gonna make you have to hang around those weirdos. I've got your back, Toothie." Tooth couldn't help but smile a little bit at that, knowing at least she had Jack on her side.

They waited for Bunny and Pitch to show up.

And they waited.

"Hey guys!" a voice called out from behind them. Almost instantaneously, both Jack and Tooth's heads whipped around, expecting the worst.

"Wow, you guys synchronizing your neck snaps or something?" Nightlight laughed as they both turned towards him. Katherine was in tow right behind, smiling over a large pair of books. As he got closer to the two of them, his smile was replaced with one of concern, looking over Jack as he added, "Hey bud, you doing okay? Man, what happened? I mean my eye feels a little better, but you sure do look like you just came from a fight!" He slid around the table, plopping on the other side of Jack and Tooth, Katherine following him.

Jack and Tooth quickly filled Nightlight and Katherine in on the situation with Bunny and Pitch. Tooth couldn't help but notice the usually friendly young man clenching his teeth and forming fists when Tooth explained what Pitch had tried to do.

"I never really trusted him," Nightlight stated, "even when he was trying to be nice, something about him always felt.. dark." Jack nodded in agreement with Nightlight, but Tooth couldn't seem to feel regret for helping him with the bullies that had pushed him into the trashcan all those months ago, even if it turned out Pitch wasn't who she thought he had been.

When Jack had finished relaying his news about Bunny, Nightlight nodded to himself. Katherine chimed in, "Well, if it's in my opinion, I'm glad that you and Bunny finally broke up, Tooth, even if we didn't expect, well, all of _this _to happen. He just seemed a bit controlling and quick-tempered, which is noticeable from what happened yesterday. Plus, you and Jack just light up around each other!"

Tooth looked away from Jack, blushing crimson red with a smile tugging at her lips. Katherine was shy most of the time, but she had a way of stating things with a blatantly obvious manner when she was enthusiastic about it. If Tooth looked over right now, she knew she would see Jack blushing just the same, but grinning from ear to ear as well.

"Anyways," Tooth coughed after a moment, "have any of you seen Bunny or Pitch? I was sure they were going to show up!" To be honest, Tooth had been ready to get the confrontation over, but now she was left wondering where they were!

Nightlight spoke up, "Nope, I haven't seen either of them all day. I usually pass Bunny or Pitch in the halls at least once before lunch, but I haven't caught sight of them."

"But Bunny offered me a ride this morning," Tooth stated, "and he just decided not to show up?"

Nightlight shrugged. "Maybe he thought it wasn't worth it if he knew you were still mad at him." He said truthfully. Tooth tried to eat her lunch, but she kept glancing around the lunchroom for any sign of Bunny.

The small group waited the rest of the lunch period for either of them to show up, but they never did. Jack and Tooth went to their afternoon classes, looking at all the people passing by in the lunchroom before they left, and in the halls between their afternoon classes, but not once did they see Pitch or Bunny, even after school was dismissed. Jack took Tooth back to her house, and she stalled in the car for a few minutes before she had to get out.

"They're not going to be able to avoid us forever," Jack told her, "and when they decide to confront us, we've just got to be ready. 'Sides, we've got Nightlight and Katherine on our team, too." He shot Tooth a comforting smile, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and squeezing her into a small hug. Tooth pecked Jack on the cheek before grabbing her backpack and ducking out of the car, walking up to her porch and slipping inside with a last goodbye to Jack.

Tooth checked her phone one more time for any messages from Bunny, but was greeted by a blank inbox. Why had Bunny and Pitch decided to slip off the face of the planet? Were they planning something? Tooth shook her head, trying to get rid of the ideas as she placed her phone down to get started on homework. When Bunny and Pitch decided to show up, she would be ready. And whatever they had to say to her, she wouldn't allow them to bring her down.

* * *

**Chapter 16 should be up sooner than this one was, I hope!**

**Please leave a review, it really helps my writing, and I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this! I love all of you guys!**


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